


3 bears and counting...

by 0peaches_writing0



Category: Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Background Relationships, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, M/M, Minor Violence, Mpreg, Swearing, Trifecta, its barely visible but the dialog may ruffle some feathers, slight attempted rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-09-05 22:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 132,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16819510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0peaches_writing0/pseuds/0peaches_writing0
Summary: I had the wonderful idea that I should write a fic with ABO dynamics and an addition to the kirishima's besides sorata.Yokozawa takafumi wakes up on a mid July morning feeling little under the weather, but is this really just a common cold?





	1. Just a cold

**Author's Note:**

> IM BACK, ive neglected this account for 2 years! meanwhile I've fallen in love with this couple and I just had to write about them. It might be a little out of character I'm not sure.  
> This is my first ABO dynamic fic so I might get some stuff wrong. There will be smut in this chapter and the next chapter which is also a first for me so please don't be too harsh it was a little mortifying to write. Thanks! and Enjoy

It was any ordinary Tuesday at Marukawa Publishing. Is what Yokozawa Takafumi would like to say. He let out a hiss of annoyance as a sharp pain lanced through his head for the third time that day. The salesman had been feeling something was off since he woke up that morning grumbling about his annoying alarm clock. He’d hardly gotten any sleep, and was feeling a dull ache in his muscles throughout his body. Granted he had pushed himself rather far yesterday during his rounds and was beginning to regret it as the results spoke for themselves. But he couldn’t miss a day of work just because of his inability to know when enough is enough.

And that’s how the beta had ended up dragging himself to his workplace. Its was 1:20 in the afternoon and was considering just heading home he couldn’t focus on anything like this. For as the day progressed his symptoms had considerably gotten worse. He still felt the aches and pains but that wasn’t nearly as annoying as the unshakable feeling of being hot and shaky. The raven chalked his symptoms up to a fever most likely following a nasty cold. After all what else could it be?

He sighed as a chill ran through him and decided to call upon his subordinate to notify him of his leave for the day. “Henmi!”  
The flustered salesman fumbled his stack of papers at his boss’s sudden outburst. “Y-yes, Yokozawa-san?”  
Yokozawa couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for always scaring his subordinate with his serious mien. “tell the department head that I’m leaving for the night.”

Huh? He’s only seen the other salesman take a day off once and that was months ago something must be off. “ah, yes is everything alright sir?”

“Everything’s fine, just caught something going around.” The beta replied in a slightly prickly tone as he packed up his workspace.  
Henmi only nodded at this and bid a wave of farewell before Yokozawa left the sales floor returning his own wave with a slightly sweaty hand grumbling about his headache.

When Yokozawa stepped though the elevator doors and passed reception hearing them gossip about another rumor involving some poor part-timer and a rather popular author. Pretending not to feel their eyes on him as he walked through the glass doors, instantly putting up a hand to shield his eyes from the burning sun. In contrast to the hot sun he felt a chill run down his spine. Remembering he was supposed to visit a particular editor and chief and his daughter tonight, Yokozawa fished his cell out of his pocket to fire off a quick rain-check text to the father daughter duo. Snapping the device shut, the salesman hailed a cab to take him to his apartment.  
As the cab drove away Marukawa disappeared from his sight and he let out a sigh, not noticing the alert that chimed on his phone.

____

Letting out a rather loud yawn whilst stretching his back, editor in chief, Kirishima Zen debated on seeing his cute salesman. It’d been a long day and he wanted to see if the raven would be so kind to accompany him on his walk home. Pushing his chair back with a rather obnoxious screech he stood up announcing a “I’m gonna take a quick break” before sauntering down to the sales floor.  
Upon reaching his destination the alpha noticed a particular wild bears absence, showing the signs of his desk being empty. Kirishima let out a sigh and flagged down Henmi. “hey Henmi, where’s the wild-bear?”  
Luckily the beta had left for the day otherwise the salesman in question would’ve caused quite the scene at the editor’s favorite nickname. Henmi sighed in relief and perked up answering Kirishima’s question. “he headed out about 4 hours ago, he was feeling rather sickly and decided to call it a night.”

The alpha’s brows raised at this, and quickly frowned after checking his phone to see his message inbox empty. Exiting the floor, thanking Henmi for the help he waved a goodnight and made the trip back up to his floor.  
Henmi swore he could hear the other man mumbling about the ‘asshole not even telling him’, but decided he should mind his own business in slight fear of the other salesman involved.

____

Meanwhile Yokozawa clicked the lock behind him as he stepped into his apartment switching on the lights.  
While the salesman had told the cab driver to take him to his apartment, he’d decided to change his mind at the last minute and asked him to drop him off at the nearest hospital. The raven had learned his lesson from last time he got sick.

Little did Yokozawa know the hospital had been rather busy and took him nearly 3 hours! And even when the doctor assured him it was probably just a common cold and it should be nothing to worry about, the salesman decided to purchase some cold medicine from a nearby pharmacy just in case. All in all, the trip had taken 4 hours including the trek back to his apartment.

The beta rolled his shoulders and threw his brief case onto the stiff sofa and flopped next to it yanking his tie off. Not bothering to check his phone the raven dragged his sluggish body to the shower to clean up, he hated feeling drenched in sweat. Turning on the faucet, he began to undress, but came to a halt when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked pale but had a light blush on his cheeks, his sweaty bangs clung to his forehead, and those dark circles under his eyes…did he really walk around looking like this? Suddenly images of his rather annoying lover flooded his mind as he thought about how the other would react to his appearance. Trying to shake the thoughts of the editor from his head was futile when he remembered some particular inappropriate events, and the blush spread further across his face. A tremor of arousal traveled up his spine at the mere thought of the alpha.

Slamming his hands on the counter he interrupted his dirty thoughts. At this point I’m just wasting water. He thought to himself. Stepping into the shower the raven drenched his hair under the cold spray to soothe his fever. Picking up a bottle of shampoo he started to lather his hair into a soapy mess before tipping it back to rinse off.  
Even under the cold water pelting his skin he still felt prickles of heat rise on his back and a familiar sting of arousal.

No way. Don’t think about it.

Distracting his thoughts, he picked up the body soap and began to scrub his skin free of the sweat and dirt built up today. But his mind had other ideas and he remembered the one-time Kirishima insisted on washing his body, which had turned into something a little too graphic.

What is wrong with me?

Looking down at himself he groaned in frustration. Great. He was hard.

Lets just get this over with.

Wrapping his palm around his member he let out a shaky gasp. Why is he so sensitive? Giving himself a few strokes, his body began to tremble. Leaning against the shower wall for support the beta continued attention to his arousal. Pleasure traveled up and down his spine under his ministrations. At a rather sharp tug he let out a throaty moan. Slapping a hand over mouth in shock he could feel a slick feeling between his legs sliding down his thighs.

Legs shaking, the beta slowly slid down the tiled wall to the shower floor.  
What?

His breathing grew labored and he could feel himself getting close. Giving himself a few sharp strokes, his thighs trembled and he bit into his hand. However, his release was stalled and he let out a sharp hiss of pain. Slight tears formed in his eyes as he felt the sting of his arousal begging for release. Clamping his thighs shut and turning off the water the beta came to a realization.

What month was it? jun... -no July! oh god it was time for his heat. Running a shaky hand through his hair and standing on weak legs he wrapped a towel around his waist making haste into his bedroom. How many times had his mate explained this?

**“I’m sorry what?”**

**Kirishima’s repeated his earlier statement without batting an eye. “I said that regardless of your rank beta or omega, an alphas mate will start going into heat every 3 months.”**

**The two men were lounging in Kirishima’s bed after a previous engagement in some rather…inappropriate activities. Yokozawa was still trying to wrap his head around what Kirishima sprung on him.**

**Yokozawa scrunched up his nose in confusion “but I’m not a chick.”**

**“No, you’re not but it doesn’t matter, you’ve still got this number here that produces those pheromones.” Kirishima chuckled snaking a hand down between the beta’s thighs inhaling the sweet scent coming from the others neck.**

**“Oi, I’m tired.” Yokozawa deadpanned seizing the alphas wrist.**

**“you need to work on your stamina Takafumi.” The alpha whispered in the betas ear eliciting a tremble from the body beneath him.**

Yokozawa stopped his thoughts from going any further shuddering. Suddenly craving his mate scent the beta rummaged his closet for one of Kirishima’s spare shirts he’d left behind. Finding the shirt in question he curiously brought it to his nose sniffing, the scent was faint but stronger around the collar. With the fabric clenched in his hands he went and sat back over on his bed a deep crimson blush dusting his cheeks and ears.  
What now?  
____


	2. Adjustments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prepare for the lemon! I'm sorry if its terrible, this is after all my first time writing something like this. ahhh I'm so embarrassed to post this! see you at the end  
> ps. thank you for the comments last time I loved them!!  
> -peachy

With an uncharacteristic frown, Kirishima bid his fellow subordinates a good night and set a brisk walk towards the train. How many times has he told Yokozawa to tell him about these things? Trying once more to call his lover, the call went straight to dial tone. Sighing in exasperation he called his mother to watch Hiyori for the night and called his darling daughter to apologize. 

Looks like its gonna be another long night of watching his stubborn ass  
Stepping off the platform the alpha started a slight jog towards Yokozawa’s tiny apartment. He was only slightly worried, being a father upped his concern for others but he trusted the man enough to take care of himself.  
Taking the steps two at a time the editor reached his lovers door and rapped his knuckles on the door. When that failed, he rang the bell a few times. Still no response. He didn’t faint, did he? Reaching for his cell and the spare key he dialed the grumpy bear one last time before shoving the key in the lock when he got nothing but dial tone.

Yanking the door open he called out the betas name “Takafumi?” he saw his shoes in the genkan and his tie along with his briefcase strewn about the sofa. After checking the bathroom which was empty, he had only one place left to look turning to his lover’s bedroom. His hand froze of the door knob when he heard a faint whimper sound from behind the door. Frowning in confusion he called the beta’s name softly once more. Getting no response thinking he’d just been hearing things a faint scent distracted his thoughts.  
This was…the alpha licked his lips and slowly pushed the door open when the scent hit him full force. It smelled like his mate’s aroma of fresh spring and pine mixed with the unmistakable sweet, enticing heat scent. The intoxicating scent blurred his vision and his pupils dilated. Over his own rapidly increasing heartbeat Kirishima took could hear the sounds of his beta’s frustration and pleasure filter about the room each breathy moan only fueling his desire for the beta even more. Frozen in place the alphas eyes finally fixated on the panting, trembling Yokozawa. And oh.

What a sight he made. Sprawled on his back the beta had his eyes screwed shut on a face twisted in pleasure, a deep flush covered his skin, his hair was disheveled in each direction. One hand was clenched in the fabric of a familiar shirt with his nose buried in the collar. Kirishima’s eyes traveled further down the betas body feeling himself hardening in his pants. His mates naked chest was heaving to maintain his breathing. There was a hand between his trembling thighs working feverishly in an out of his entrance as he bucked his hips.

Kirishima was snapped out of his stupor at the sight of the beta arching his back with a loud, breathy moan as he’d hit a sweet spot. The sight was absolutely beautiful. The alpha took a step forward letting out a deep chuckle running his cool hands over the beta’s flushed skin.

The beta flinched at the feeling of hands gliding over the backs of his thighs. But visibly relaxed when he recognized the intruder as his mate. He removed the hand clenched in the shirt to reach out to his alpha, other hand still thrusting his fingers in and out of his quivering passage. The alpha caught the hand with his own bringing it to his lips to brush a kiss over the back of it.  
The Alpha palmed himself through his pants while taking two of Yokozawa’s fingers into his mouth teasing him. He moved his tongue experimentally around the digits causing the beta beneath him to release a shuddering gasp. The editor smirked and slipped the slippery digits from his mouth where they proceeded to clench at his shoulder. Kirishima relieved Yokozawa’s working hand from its task causing the other to whimper at the emptiness. 

In the back of his mind Yokozawa couldn’t help but be embarrassed at the sight he was displaying but was too far gone to dwell on it. his train of thought was interrupted when two long digits entered him and he let out a harsh gasp. He’d already fingered himself for the past half hour, it wasn’t enough but he wasn’t going to tell the cocky alpha above him. Kirishima’s fingers teasingly brushed over a sensitive spot and at the same time surged forward to pull the beta into a searing kiss. The raven eased his mouth open allowing the other’s tongue entrance. As their tongues intertwined Kirishima freed himself from the confines of his pants, bringing Yokozawa’s hand forward to stroke his shaft. 

“nngh...”

The beta’s back arched and let out a muffled groan when his mate hit a bundle of nerves that made him see stars. The alpha sucked on his tongue hard one last time before releasing for breath. Both men panted staring at each other, Yokozawa was the first to break contact and shy away. Kirishima was quick to grab his chin forcing his mate to face him. The alpha leaned in close to whisper into his ear hot breath blowing over his sensitive skin “what do you want?”  
When the beta didn’t respond and just let out a barely audible whimper the alpha resorted to calling his name voice dark with lust. 

“Takafumi.” All the while the man in question was fighting his instinct to submit to this strong alpha.  
Yokozawa clenched his eyes shut, these pheromones were driving him wild how could Kirishima stay so calm?! Finally giving in to his desires he whispered a soft “y-you…”

The alpha blinked, what did he say? “I didn’t catch that” he replied with a shit-eating grin.

The beta’s eyes flared open in anger and he snapped his wrist out fisting his hand in the alpha’s shirt bring their lips into a crushing kiss. He thrust his tongue into the others mouth ravaging him and pulled away licking his lips “you.”

The alpha was stunned for a second but quickly recovered pasting on a sly smile. Taking his own shaft into his hand laving a stripe along his hand, and stroking himself a few times before pressing himself against the beta’s entrance.  
Little did the beta beneath him know, Kirishima was fighting his instincts as well trying to refrain from hurting the other. The alpha leans in close to his ear again while moving his hips forward to ease his cock into the beta’s slick entrance. Whilst slowly moving his hips Kirishima utters a low growl into Yokozawa’s ear making the beta go rigid beneath him.  
The betas thighs trembled in anticipation as the alphas thick shaft slid in. Kirishima watched his mate’s expression shift from frustration to bliss as he finally filled him with a final thrusting snap of his hips. The beta couldn’t hold back a whine arching his back to coax the other into moving. 

Oh god his mate was so tight and warm. Kirishima stayed still while breathing heavily near Yokozawa’s scent gland for a minute to keep his cool before giving a tentative thrust. The beta groaned he felt so full it was so much better than his fingers. After another set of 10 seconds Kirishima moved again slowly gaining speed and momentum until he had set a vigorous pace. The alpha reached between them to stroke his mates neglected member, and smirking when it drew a needy whine from his lover. 

They could both feel their climax approaching and Yokozawa scrabbled at Kirishima’s back for purchase. The alpha groaned when he felt the others nails sinking into his skin. Something Yokozawa forgot about alphas was their knots and how big they were. Kirishima’s was no exception. The beta felt himself grow wetter to accept the knot and whimpered needliy begging for release. 

Kirishima lifted the betas hips higher to accept his deeper thrusts as the man below him cried out inarticulately. The moans in his ear began to increase in crescendo and Kirishima finally gave in plunging deep one last time before filling the beta with his seed while his knot expanded. As Kirishima growled deeply into his ear, Yokozawa’s vision went white and he threw his head back before he followed Kirishima’s release splattering between their abdomens. Both men panted heavily before Kirishima heaved them both up into a sitting position, making the raven hiss as the knot pulled on his stretched entrance a bit. Kirishima apologized with light sucking kisses on his neck. 

As their fever faded, they waited out the knot connecting them. Yokozawa felt oddly satisfied yet disgusted at the seed and slick spilling out of him when Kirishima finally pulled out setting him back in his lap.  
Wait.

Shit.

“Kirishima-san, y-you, we…” The beta licked his lips searching for the words frowning.

The alpha raised a brow at this finishing his worries for him “Are you talking about a condom?”

The beta nodded his head meekly in response, shame welling up within him. He felt disgusting.  
Kirishima pulled the beta on his lap into a tight embrace running his fingers through his inky, sweaty locks. It felt good. “don’t worry about it, since its your first heat its very unlikely for you to get pregnant given that your body is still trying to process the ability to reproduce.” 

The beta nodded his head with a frown on his face the alphas reassurance only soothed him a little bit there was still that little sliver of worry in the back of his mind. Putting his thoughts aside Yokozawa buried his face in Kirishima’s neck near his scent gland. He loved his mates smell but he would never tell him. It was soothing, warm amber and cedar.

Kirishima decided to shatter the romantic atmosphere by piping up “by the way can we talk about how you were jerking yourself off buried in my shirt back there?” he asked with a sly smirk. At this Yokozawa’s face was immediately engulfed in a deep red giving him away. 

“T-tha…that was- “he furrowed his brows trying again “Just who was- “ 

The alpha let out a loud bark of laughter at his mates flustered response. “wow if I knew you had a scent kink, I would’ve left some of my shirts covered in it here.” He snickered. Yokozawa hung his head in defeat, humiliated. While Kirishima prided himself in that perfect teasing moment Yokozawa sat stiff and frozen straddling the editor’s thighs. Kirishima poked his cheek…maybe I went too far. The alpha thought. “Oi, Takafumi?” no response except for the fists at his sides clenching harder. Kirishima cocked his head to the side a bit to peek under the raven’s bangs. His suspicions were confirmed when a warm drop fell onto the alpha’s cheek. Kirishima brought up a hand to thumb away his tears but was weekly slapped away. “cut it out.” A quiet voice reprimanded, his lover not missing that short sniff at the end. Kirishima immediately felt a pang of guilt lance through him at his lover’s reaction. Scrambling to pull his love back into a warm embrace dropping the teasing act. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me, I really do love you. Takafumi”

The alpha sat patiently waiting for his beta to respond stoking his hair. Before a quiet, tentative “I..ve-you too…”

Kirishima genuinely grinned at him with a smile that could light a room.  
The two could only bask in the afterglow for so long before the beta scrunched his nose in disgust at their current state.

“we need to clean up” Yokozawa voiced into the quiet room refusing to meet the alphas eyes. Using Kirishima’s shoulders for support the beta tried to detangle himself from the others lap, but the alpha acted faster. Seizing the betas wrists Kirishima looked into those stunning grey eyes he could easily get lost in. Yokozawa felt his face heat up at the other man’s intense gaze before shying away. Those almond eyes seemed to always see right through him, boring into his soul. Kirishima finally relented releasing his grasp on the other and letting out a dramatic sigh. The beta rolled his eyes at this and swung his legs over the side of the bed planting his feet on the ground. Kirishima only watched his mate hungrily, taking in the exposed skin before him. Yokozawa finally stood up wincing at the dull ache in his hips before he lost his balance. Kirishima was quick to rush after him before the beta could make contact with the solid floor beneath him, the alphas strong arm wrapped securely around the raven’s lower back. Yokozawa let out a quiet sigh of relief while Kirishima had the audacity to chuckle at his weakened state. 

“sorry” the alpha said through his light laughter, he didn’t sound sorry~ one bit. “I forgot to mention that you would be a little weak after the first time.” Kirishima spoke, clearly amused by the glare from his younger lover. 

“thanks.” The beta bit out shoving the weight of his lover off of him walking on unsteady legs toward the bathroom.

“Do I need to carry my darling bear?” the alpha voiced in a sickly sweet tone. Yokozawa only responded with a rude gesture over his shoulder before slamming the door shut behind him. Kirishima snickered lightly, his sharp ears picking up the click of the lock from the room occupied by his mate. Gathering a change of clothes for Yokozawa and himself, Kirishima made his way over to the bathroom door rapping on it with a few knocks. 

“go away.” The betas muffled voice from behind the door could be heard through the crack near the floor.

“ah but Takafumi what about your change of clothes?” the alpha teased.  
On the other side of the door the beta was undoubtedly blushing at the use of his first name. Running a hand through his mussed hair Yokozawa groaned in annoyance before hesitantly opening the door a crack. The alpha quickly made work of the opening, wrenching the door open with his superior strength taking his mate off guard. Swiftly closing the door behind him with a soft click the alpha raised his eyes to smirk at his grumpy bear. The beta flushed with annoyance before shoving at Kirishima’s muscled chest

“get out!” Yokozawa glowered barely covering up the slight waver in his voice. Over the tap running in a rhythmic pattern into the bathtub Kirishima didn’t miss that break in the beta’s words.

“aww, but I thought you’d need help washing up” the alpha remarked slyly his eyes glinted with mischief as he took one step closer. The beta stepped backward sputtering at a loss for words before finally finding his voice,

“as if!” Yokozawa bit out, turning away from his lover to hide his blush. The alpha only chuckled at his flustered mate before stepping forward effectively cornering his mate towards the tub. The beta had no more room left, but Kirishima wouldn’t stop inching forward with that smirk dancing in his almond eyes. The alpha reached his hand out placing it flat on his lovers naked chest before giving a gentle shove.

“st-hey! Cut it out- WAH!” losing his balance the beta stumbled backward clumsily falling into the water with a loud splash. The alpha easily stepped over the rim of the tub following after his mate facing him. Sinking into the water with a sated sigh, Kirishima let Yokozawa’s reprimands assault his ears. 

“Oww...WHAT THE HELL, I COULD’VE GOTTEN HURT YOU ASSHOLE” The angered bear swung his fist at Kirishima in a rage but his attack was easily thwarted by the alpha merely grasping his fist in his palm.

“you’re not gonna take me down coming at me like that” Kirishima teased forcing Yokozawa’s offending arm away. “besides it not like you got hurt so relax, this is the only way I could get you to bathe with me” the alpha continued with a lazy wave of his hand and dipping his head back to rest against the chilled tile wall. After sitting in an uncomfortable silence with the sound of nothing but soft breathing bouncing off the tiled walls, Yokozawa was the first to break the ice for once.

“so…um..” the beta started shyly, unsure how to broach the topic.

“..yes?” the alpha questioned impatiently while raising a suspicious brow. The beta fidgeted with his hands for a moment before swallowing his pride and voicing his concerns.  
This guy really is too cute. Kirishima thought his lips twitching a bit. 

“are my heats always gonna be this intense?” The beta whispered ducking his head in embarrassment. The sloshing of water could be heard as Kirishima raised a hand to card through his own hair while sighing.

“well to be perfectly honest, for the most part yes. However, everyone’s different and you may just get used to it over time, who knows.” The alpha answered seriously while shrugging. The beta felt his heart speed up and sink at the same time, at the alpha’s words. Yokozawa was not too keen on acting so desperate once every 3 months it just wasn’t like him.

“Well at least I only have to deal with this once every 3 months” Yokozawa muttered in defeat accepting his fate. 

“…” Kirishima only stared at the beta after his comment, his concerned gaze not wavering. Feeling the alphas eyes on him Yokozawa bravely lifted his head raising a questioning brow

“what?” he asked confused at how what he said caused such an uncharacteristic reaction from Kirishima. The alpha merely shook his head free of water droplets and yanked a towel off the wall rack before standing up and stepping out of the tub. The beta felt his heart race at the sight of his handsome mate, his muscles on display and water droplets teasingly sliding over his skin. Kirishima could feel his mates heated gaze burning through him and smirked underneath the towel he was using to dry his hair. the alpha held the betas gaze for a moment before finally starting

“I don’t really know how to break this to you but…” there was a slight pause while Kirishima inspected his back covered in red scratch marks in the mirror. The beta looked away in shame, eyes widening under his damp hair at what the alpha said next

“your heat lasts a whole week you know.” The Alpha finished, turning around to take in his mate’s reaction who was currently frozen stiff in the lukewarm water. "not that I mind in the slightest" the alpha said leering, and leaning in to brush his lips against his mates forehead before pulling away. After a long moment of silence, the beta reluctantly crawled out of the tub and snatched the towel from Kirishima’s grasp proceeding to dry himself off. Not once did Yokozawa lift his gaze as he made himself decent. He pulled on a pair of underwear and lounge pants before looking around for his shirt which Kirishima had hidden behind his back. The beta finally looked up at his mate’s face who was wearing his trademark smirk before thrusting a black t-shirt towards him. Yokozawa reached to yank the shirt out of his grasp but Kirishima quickly pulled his arm back out of the beta’s reach not once breaking the intense eye contact. Yokozawa’s brow dipped at the childish behavior, watching his mate slowly bring the shirt up towards his neck tilting his head to expose his scent gland continuing to stare at him with lust. The beta felt his chest hitch as he watched his mate rub the fabric over the skin of his neck before holding it out in his mate’s direction who accepted it with shaking hands. The alpha spun on his heel and smugly walked out of the bathroom with his arms folded over his chest

“Man, I’m hungry…” the alpha complained before allowing the door to slowly ease shut behind him. At this the beta scrambled to finish dressing. There was no way he was going to let that man burn down his apartment! Eyes frantically scanning the room for another shirt to wear the beta gave in and finally pulled the marked shirt over his head. When the beta rushed out of the bathroom, he was relieved to find that there weren’t any signs of smoke but also no sign of his lover. The beta let out a whimper feeling burning pain lance through his heart, why did he leave?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! kudos and feedback are always appreciated, I promise I don't bite! hopefully i'll be able to get the next chapter out faster, I wont leave you guys on a cliffhanger too long I promise!  
> -peachy


	3. Interruption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! thank you so much for your feedback i really appreciate it. I'm overjoyed that there are still people who enjoy this couple just as much as I do. Thank you for reading my work you guys are the best!  
> -Peachy

Am I not good enough?

The beta caught a whiff of the alphas scent from his shirt, his thoughts finally clearing. He was being ridiculous, Kirishima probably went out to buy something to eat the beta reassured himself. But as time ticked by while Yokozawa sat patiently on the couch his resolve began to waver. He’d already thrown his sheets and clothes in the laundry and replaced them. What was taking the alpha so long? 

Did he leave me?

The beta bit back a whine when he heard the front door click open. Perking up from his spot on the couch he turned to interrogate the alpha when the words died in his throat at the sight of his visitor.  
“Masamune?” Yokozawa finally finding his voice. Hearing his own voice in the quiet apartment save for the rustling of a bag and shuffling of feet, he inwardly cringed at how rough his voice sounded. The man in question met the betas eyes lifting a bag wearing a look of concern. 

“I brought medicine, but why aren’t you in bed? Aren’t you sick?” Takano took a step forward reaching out to brush his hand over his best friends’ forehead. Hearing that one syllable leave his friend’s mouth made Yokozawa gulp and flinch away from the alpha’s hand.

Sick.

How the hell was he supposed to explain this? While wracking his brain for a response Takano shook the betas shoulder demanding an answer.

“Hey. Are you even listening to me? Damn maybe we need to get you to a hospital.” The alpha whipped out his cell from his pocket calling someone and apologizing, probably cancelling plans with Onodera. ‘Shit.’ Yokozawa thought, ‘I need to clear this up fast.’

“I’m fine dammit, just go home!” the beta bit out, but the alpha seemed to not even be listening as he proceeded to yank Yokozawa off the couch. 

“hey! Wai-” the beta struggled against the alphas grasp. This wasn’t good. Yokozawa resorted to biting his forearm that was currently trying to drag him by the collar out of the apartment. It seemed to be effective as the alpha hissed in pain and jumped away from his friend. 

“what the hell is your problem-“Takano cut himself off finally catching a whiff of the air around him, making him pause. The alpha hesitantly brought his bitten forearm to his nose, which had previously been wrapped around Yokozawa’s collar a moment before. This was another alphas smell? Why did it smell so familiar? Yokozawa felt like he was watching from afar as he could almost hear the gears in Takano’s brain turning. Both men’s thoughts were interrupted as another presence stepped into the room, making themselves known with a deep bone chilling growl. 

That growl belonged to none other than Kirishima Zen. Takano had barely any time to react before he was swiftly pinned against the wall with a loud thump. Kirishima kept a strong forearm pressed against the other alpha’s windpipe, pupils dilated with rage. The beta watches the scene unfold before him panicking slightly unable to move. Another loud but different growl broke Yokozawa from his thoughts. Takano was now fighting back against the other alpha for dominance. Both alphas had just gotten their hands on each other’s necks before turning their heads to look at the source of a faint whimper. Neither ever hearing such a pathetic sound come from the wild bear himself, both alphas both froze in concern.

“please don’t fight over me.” Yokozawa’s voice barely above a whisper. Kirishima and Takano both retracted their grasp bringing their fists to clench at their sides. As if trying to slaughter the other with a dark glare both alphas simply stared each other down. When Kirishima was the one to speak around a faint growl first

“you’ve got ten seconds to explain why you’re in here bothering my mate” the alpha bit out voice dripping with rage.

“I should ask you the same thing- wait. Mate?” Takano blinked and turned to look at his best friend incredulously.

The beta in questions gaze was lowered hidden by his hair falling over his eyes. He turned his head away from both men whispering out a faint yes. The raven-haired alpha visibly relaxed at that one word, but still kept his guard up. 

“god I thought this guy was taking advantage of you or something” Takano alpha sighed, pointing an accusing thumb at Kirishima over his shoulder. Kirishima impatiently watched the exchange between his lover and enemy. Barely keeping his breathing in check, the mans almond eyes narrowed at his mate before biting out the question

“did he touch you?” The alpha with glasses tensed up glancing down at his forearm and at the beta. 

“no.” Yokozawa responded flatly.

“then why did you bite him” the alpha pressed pointing at the evidence. 

“Because I was trying to take him to the hospital” Takano jumped in, clearly exasperated. The almond gaze snapped over to the other alpha furiously

“I didn’t ask you.” Kirishima growled out. Both alphas held a challenging glare match before Takano relented waving his hand in the air lazily.

“I don’t have time for this. Talk to you later, Yokozawa” and with a final glance over his shoulder at the pair Takano swiftly left the apartment. The heavy door slamming behind him.

The beta visibly flinched at the loud bang and hesitantly turned to peek at his lover. Yokozawa’s breathing hitched seeing Kirishima’s darkened expression fixated on him. The raven could feel himself shrinking under the older mans gaze as the other stepped forward menacingly. 

“Ki-Kirishima san?” the beta stuttered in fear. Yokozawa felt the backs of his legs hit the couch losing his balance and collapsing on the stiff sofa. Watching his mate flail about, Kirishima felt his dampened mood beginning to lift. 

“Takafumi” Kirishima growled out. Yokozawa lifted his head when Kirishima surged forward pulling him into a searing kiss.

“Mmmf!” the beta struggled in the alphas grasp for a moment before relenting and burying his hands in the alpha’s soft almond locks. Kirishima finally pulled away a thing string of saliva connecting their lips. Panting heavily both took in each other’s gaze for a moment before Kirishima licked his lips seductively while leaning down-

“RRRR”

Both men flinched at the alphas growling stomach. 

“ah, right” Kirishima chuckled lightly.

Yokozawa lifted his brow at his mate before hauling himself up and walking towards the abandoned grocery bag in the genkan. Lifting it to inspect the contents the beta realized Kirishima had bought enough ingredients to put together a light meal. Wordlessly stepping into the kitchen and setting the bag on the counter, the beta threw on an apron to start preparing dinner.

Soon the tense atmosphere from before had completely disappeared and the sounds and smells of cooking food filled the room. The beta so focused on cooking was he, failed to notice the alphas presence in the kitchen. Kirishima slyly stepped forward hooking his lean arms around Yokozawa’s waist and leaning over to inhale his scent...he still smelled like Takano. He needed to change that. The beta jumped almost dropping the pan onto the hot plate but mustered enough control in his grip to shakily set it back down before firing off a round of complaints. 

“Don’t touch me when I’m cooking! That’s dangerous!” Yokozawa groused while switching off the burner and turning around to glare at his lover. The alpha merely blinked at this and calmly leaned over to steal a sliced vegetable from the plate next to the stove. Facing his mate again the alpha rolled his eyes

“Y’know you don’t have to flinch like I’m gonna jump you every time I so much as hug you” the alpha said around the vegetable he was chewing. Chuckling at the beta’s cheeks heating up Kirishima reached his arm over to grab a handful of the raven’s backside. After giving a tight squeeze the alpha retracted his arm simultaneously dodging the wooden spoon swinging his way.

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP GROPING MY ASS” the beta barked out clearly flustered. Sidestepping his agitated lover Kirishima swiftly exit the kitchen and flopped onto the couch. Yokozawa huffed in annoyance watching his lover laze about for a moment before turning to set out the food. 

\----

The alpha started with a slight snort, he must’ve dosed off waiting for Yokozawa to finish cooking. Sitting up and running his hand over his face Kirishima picked up the clinking noise of dishes. Groggily standing on two feet the alpha shuffled over to the tiny table pleased to see his lover sitting there waiting. The two said their thanks and dug in. It didn’t take long for the editor to slam his bowl onto the table demanding seconds. Yokozawa groused ‘Oi. you’re a guest act like one’ at this and stood up to refill the dish while grabbing some more tea. 

The two had finally finished their meal while chatting about work, and office gossips Yokozawa had almost completely forgot about his heat. Almost. Yokozawa decided to break the silence for the second time that night asking a question that’s been on his mind since Kirishima had brought up work.

“So, if my heat lasts a week can I still go into work like business as usual?” Yokozawa asked casually.

Kirishima let out an amused snort, seriously this guy and his work. 

“No can do. I’m afraid that your pheromones would only attract other alphas and we can’t have that, now can we?” the alpha stated, barely holding back a possessive growl at the thought of another alpha laying their hands on his mate.

Yokozawa noticed the alphas pupils dilate but continued on anyways.

“so, what, you just expect me to take a week off of work? No way.” Yokozawa reprimands shaking his head. “and besides if other alphas would be after me, then how come Takano didn’t try to jump me?” Yokozawa pressed, noticing his mate sharply inhale at the mention of his best friend.

This time Kirishima did let out a low rumbling growl while he spoke “because he has his own mate, who he’s already bonded with.”

“bonded?” Yokozawa repeated the word aloud raising his brow.

Ah did I forget to tell him this too? The alpha thought with a bored expression.

“well you see, an alphas sense of smell can pick up what most others can’t. Not even omegas.” Kirishima said while feigning a calm demeanor, but on the inside his heart was racing rapidly about what he was going to say next.

“hah? Why do I need to know that, just get on with it.” the beta snapped at his lover.

The alpha brought his hands up to rest his chin while meeting the other man’s gaze.

“when an alpha thinks they’ve found their soulmate, and their mate thinks the same, both will leave their mark on the other while they you know- “Kirishima tried to explain while making rather lewd gestures with his hands.

“thanks. I get it- I don’t need that image in my head” the beta grit out filling in the rest for his lover. 

Raising his brow, the alpha was concerned by his lover’s reaction, and decided to tease rather than face his fear of rejection. 

“oh? Did you imagine something naughty just now?” Kirishima teased, watching his mates face heat up with a scarlet blush. In truth Yokozawa had just entertained some inappropriate fantasy of the two leaving their marks but he wasn’t about to admit that. Completely dismissing the subject Yokozawa asked another question 

“will the first day of my heat be the most intense or does it get worse?” the beta felt bad for barraging the other with questions about heats, but this whole experience was new to him. Kirishima seemed visibly disappointed at his mate brushing the previous topic aside. 

“mm, to be honest Takafumi it only gets better from here” the alpha remarked slyly tossing his first name in there to get a rise out of him. The beta started to shrink under the man’s lustful gaze.

“I don’t like the way you say that…” Yokozawa replied cautiously.

Getting revenge for earlier, Kirishima simply waved his hand leaving his beta to fill in the rest.

“oh, and one more thing…” the alpha trailed off while rummaging through his pocket. The beta waited on the edge of his seat with bated breath, but the words that smoothly tumbled from his mate’s mouth only caused a headache. 

“I got condoms!” the alpha cheered holding them out like a prize for Yokozawa to see. 

“Hey Takafumi where do you think you’re going?” the alpha demanded watching his lover stand up and stomp towards the bedroom, the tips of his ears bright red.

“I’m going to bed. I’m tired.” The beta snapped, flinching when Kirishima closed in behind him, gripping his wrist and his other hand flying down to stroke the others hip. 

“now, now don’t be shy we’ve got all night~” the alpha whispered hotly into his lover’s ear. Yokozawa shuddered at the breath blowing over his ear, knowing he wasn’t going to get any sleep that night as the bedroom door clicked shut behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make the scene with Takano seem tense for effect not sure if it was enough though lol. This is all very new to me and I act as my own editor so please feel free to point out any mistakes! kudos and comments are always appreciated! see you soon  
> -Peachy


	4. Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THE NOTES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back! I posted rather quickly and it's a bit of a long chapter so buckle up! 
> 
> ***Now if you haven't noticed the tags changed, I would recommend reading them before continuing on if you are an easily triggered person. Please don't yell at me, if you're upset about the addition of slight attempted rape then please feel free to stop reading I won't be offended. I don't want to try to convince you to continue reading if you are on the fence, you call the shots so do what makes you comfortable. If you really like the story but are still bothered by the new content I did add extra spacing and warning in all caps also an end signal. for those of you that would like to read the whole thing, the scene isn't graphic nothing sexual happens! Its just the attackers words might set someone off so I'm trying to be as cautious as possible. The scene is also incredibly short and Kirishima of course Is there to protect! 
> 
> I also added lots of fluff to make up for it!
> 
> I appreciate all of you that read my work I really am ecstatic to see new hits each day and your comments always inspire me to hurry along with my writing so really, thank you.
> 
> so without further ado, feel free to continue on or walk away
> 
> -Peachy

The first thing Yokozawa woke up to was almond hair tickling at his back, and soft snoring behind him. Memories of the previous night flashed through his mind and he quickly squinted his eyes shut. ‘there’s no place for such indecent thoughts in the morning’ Yokozawa reprimanded himself. Carefully withdrawing from the alphas embrace, the beta was finally able to slip some lounge pants on before trudging towards the bathroom. 

Inspecting the kiss marks all over his neck that also gathered above his collar. Dammit. How was he supposed to cover these at work? Wait.

I’m missing work!

racing over and smacking the alpha across the head Yokozawa quickly jumped into action throwing clothes around in search of his suit.

“Get up old man! Dammit we’re totally gonna be late!” the beta cursed glancing at his watch which he had just haphazardly thrown on. A hiss of pain could be heard from the other as they cradled their head slowly rising to sit up. The alpha finally lifted his blurry almond gaze to his lover frantically throwing on clothes and shoving work documents into his bag.

“what no wake-up kiss?” the alpha joked huffing childishly.

“As if, now put some damn clothes on!” Yokozawa barked out while picking up Kirishima’s shirt and throwing it into his face. The alpha only sighed not moving an inch only bemusedly watching his lover search about the room finally stopping to comb his inky, black bedhead.

“Relax Takafumi I already notified your superior of your condition” Kirishima finally decided to say while unabashedly stretching his naked, muscular body tangled in the sheets. The beta immediately flushed watching his lover but quickly snapped back into reality hearing the alphas lazy words tumble from his mouth.

“WHAT!?” the beta shouted. This wasn’t good! ‘The whole company is going to find out about my relationship with Kirishima-san’ ‘I’m gonna get fired!’ ‘oh god that means that pervert Isaka-san knows too!’ the beta thought, his mind running at 80-mph with fears. Kirishima watched his lovers face morph into despair at the thought of his privacy invaded. Barely stifling a yawn, the alpha decided to speak up to ease his worried mate

“don’t worry I told them that you had a really nasty cold.” Kirishima said lazily waving his hand.

“And you expect them to buy that? What about you? Surely you can’t just take off a week of work!” the beta bit out raising a suspicious brow.

“Why I told them I was nursing you back to health of course!” The alpha jokingly sing-songed leering at his beta. Yokozawa’s confusion quickly turned into a deep frown.

“you idiot!” Yokozawa seethed while clenching his fists at his sides. “I can’t believe you told them that! And you can’t just leave your employees to fend for themselves that long!” The beta finished his outburst panting for breath. The alphas eyes widened in shock just a hair but he quickly recovered

“What would you rather have me told them what our plans were for the week?” he voiced out suggestively raising his eyebrow. “besides they were planning on kicking me out soon anyways so they were happy to oblige with my request. I had way too much time saved up.” The alpha reassured his agitated lover. 

“But what about Hiyori?” Yokozawa demanded.

“ah, that…I may have had to tell my mom a little bit of truth before she would take my daughter for a week.” The alpha spoke now wide awake watching his mate tremble with anger. Without saying another word, the beta made to move for the door but the alpha was quick to jump out of the sheets dressed in only his boxers. Yokozawa felt a strong grasp on his wrist yanking him away from the door knob. 

“where do you think you’re going” the alpha spoke around a faint growl agitated that his lover was ignoring him.

The betas eyes lit up with rage and he roughly shoved the hand wrapped around his arm away. 

“we have no food here” Yokozawa bit out turning on his heel and racing out of the apartment before the other could retort.

“people can smell you idiot!” the alpha ground out only realizing he’d said it to himself as Yokozawa had already left. “Shit” the alpha cursed aloud. Kirishima haphazardly threw on some of Yokozawa’s clothes grabbing his phone and wallet. Lacing up his sneakers in the genkan the alpha finally yanked the doorway open to rush after his mate only to ram head on into the person standing in front of the door. 

“Oww, what the fuck?” Kirishima cursed, looking up to see the visitor cradling his nose which was undoubtedly bleeding.

“ugh…” The stranger finally lifted his head to look at his attacker only to panic slightly.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the alpha demanded voice dripping with venom, watching the beta before him cower in fear. There was no mistaking his appearance with the light hair and glasses this man was definitely Iokawa-san.

“eh!?..K-Kirishima-san?” Iokawa spoke, voice trembling.

“I don’t have time for this!” the alpha growled out suddenly remembering his idiot mate who’d just fled the apartment. He decided to let the man off the hook. for now. But not before menacingly biting out a ‘stay away from Takafumi’ before sprinting down the steps and running towards the nearest corner store following his mates faint scent. 

___

Seething the beta tried to calm down while stalking towards the familiar store, scaring everyone in his path. Yokozawa’s brow twitched in annoyance ‘just who does he think he is? Ordering me around.’ The beta thought. Letting out a sigh Yokozawa finally walked through the automatic doors the AC on full blast cooling his flushed skin. He really hated summer. 

Yokozawa had been wandering the aisles for a while looking for what he could cook for the annoying alpha and himself. Deciding on ginger fried pork for one day, and curry the next Yokozawa threw the contents into his basket. The clattering of the packaging against the basket hardly covered up the whispers about the store. Frowning the beta looked around to see some people casting shy looks towards him but what rubbed him the wrong way was a greasy looking man standing ominously at the end of the aisle.  
The strangers stare was burning holes into his back, the beta felt chills run down his spine and uncomfortably shuffled into the next aisle. Grabbing some snacks and deciding to stock up on tea forgoing the beer wrinkling his nose in distaste. He really hadn’t felt like drinking lately. Yokozawa finally grabbed a few extra ingredients for a stew or something before stepping in line to be rung up. The beta shuddered at the threatening figure standing behind him…that same creep. The stranger was breathing heavily as if trying to inhale something that smelled good. The concerned look of the cashier appeared for only a split second before greeting the beta cheerfully. Yokozawa gratefully took the plastic bags from the petite woman before thanking her and rushing out the door. 

\----

“Hello sir! Find everyth-“ the cashier stopped at the sight of the man before her who held up his hand signaling for her to kindly zip it. 

“I’m good. Thanks.” The man muttered before setting a sluggish pace for the exit. The cashier slightly frowned in thought before shrugging it off waving to the next couple in line  
\----

TRIGGER WARNING****

Yokozawa lived in a relatively quiet, secluded neighborhood so it was no wonder he was able to detect the presence of the same stalker and his persistent pace behind him. He’d walked for a couple blocks already and this guy was still falling in step behind him…the hot sun was beating down on the beta making him even more uncomfortable at the strangers fixated gaze on him. Yokozawa decided to pick up his pace, hearing the clicking off- beat foot steps behind him. Yeah OK he was definitely following him. The beta grit his teeth in though ‘shit this is bad, he’s gonna try and mug me.’ The beta whipped his cell out of his pocket ready to dial the emergency line. Too lost in his thoughts Yokozawa’s pace slowed while the stalkers sped up. Before he could react, the stranger had pinned his front to a brick wall in a nearby alley. The beta’s arms were forced against the wall before him, his phone and grocery’s clattering to the ground. ‘dammit!’ Yokozawa thought.

“what the hell you bastard” the beta finally bit out struggling to breathe against the solid surface of brick.

The man behind him only inched forward near his neck inhaling deeply. 

“Ugh!” the raven shuddered in disgust shying away from the unwelcomed breath blowing over his skin. Yokozawa began to thrash about only causing the alpha behind him to tighten his grip.

“walking outside smelling like this is certainly an invitation is it not?” the stranger huffed out into his victim’s ear. The beta felt his hairs stand on end feeling an appendage creeping down to his lower half. Yokozawa squeezed his eyes shut.

“No! Let go of me!” The beta cried out. But before the offending hand could even reach him the pressure holding him hostage was suddenly knocked away following a loud ‘UGH’ Yokozawa turned his head slowly only to see a familiar almond haired man tackling the perpetrator to the ground.

END****

A loud menacing growl penetrated the betas ears recognizing this as Kirishima, he felt his body go ridged. The raven could only silently watch as Kirishima threateningly pressed his forearm against the attacker’s airway, the same move he’d used on Takano but this time he had a murderous intent. The stalker struggled to breath attempting to kick Kirishima to thwart his attack but it was useless. Kirishima raised his fist up and back ready to surge forward and deal an unforgiving blow, but Yokozawa rushed toward his mate to prevent it.

“Don’t!” the beta shouted out tightening his embrace around his mate’s middle pulling him off of the attacker.

The Alpha growled in a rage trying to free himself from the betas grasp. Kirishima’s nostrils flared when he suddenly caught his lover’s familiar scent and slowly turned to see the other’s watery eyes. His eyes clearing of blood lust Kirishima whispered out a “Taka…fumi?”

The alpha turned to his mate, his head a bit clearer looking him over. Much to Kirishima’s relief the beta didn’t seem to be hurt in anyway. The couple turned around at hearing the wheezing sounds from the stranger who seemed to cough a few times struggling to speak before he finally said in a raspy voice

“s-so..rry..did…n’t-know..he-was..taken” the man gasped out his words punctuated by obnoxious hacking. Almond eyes darted towards the attacker menacingly 

“that still gives you no right” the almond haired alpha sneered. “How could you call yourself an alpha? You pathetic weakling.” 

The stranger trembled in fear curling in on himself in the shady alleyway. Not listening to Yokozawa’s demands to ‘let him go’, Kirishima dragged the distraught beta out of the alleyway roughly by the arm. It was all Yokozawa could do to follow after him having to quicken his pace to catch up. The furious alpha stopped near the end of the alley picking up the cracked cellphone, and leaving behind the soiled groceries covered in dust. 

“hey wait-“ Yokozawa tried to protest digging his nails into the arm holding onto him with a death grip. Ignoring the beta’s protests the alpha continued speed-walking back towards the all too familiar building. 

“I SAID LET GO OF ME!” the beta shouted while shoving the alpha away from him. Yokozawa watched his mate stumble for a moment before he turned to eye him with a dark glare. The beta felt his heart stop at the predatory look in his lover’s eyes before gathering his courage to speak. 

“We still need food, I’m not looking forward to spending the whole week with your obnoxious stomach.” Yokozawa finally bit out with a slight waver in his voice. Kirishima stared at the other a minute contemplating something before sighing in surrender. 

“alright fine. But I’m not going back that way.” The alpha muttered petulantly while pointing at the direction they’d just come from. The beta furrowed his brow before responding 

“fine I guess I know another one but it’s a bit of a walk.” Deciding to ignore the way his heart sped up at seeing his mate wearing his clothes. “try to keep up old man” Yokozawa threw out before breaking out into a light jog, hearing Kirishima snort for a second before increasing the pace in his steps.

\----

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two as they made the trek to the next nearest market. Kirishima finally deciding to break the ice opted to ask,

“where did the guy touch you?” in a demanding tone.

“nowhere.” The beta sighed out looking up at the blindingly bright, blue sky feeling Kirishima’s uncertain gaze on him. “you got there in time… Than..k..yo..u” that last part was a broken whisper but the alphas sharp ears easily picked it up.

“I’m just glad you’re safe.” the alpha muttered. “I only had second to see him reaching for you until I lost it.” he added gently brushing his hand gently over the beta’s cheek.

Yokozawa briefly met his lover’s eyes for a moment before flicking his gaze away blushing lightly.

The two finally stopped in front of the entrance to the store, the alpha kindly opening the door for the beta. Yokozawa uncomfortably shuffled past him hearing a light bell ding at their entrance.

“so, what did you get at the other place?” I decided to leave those groceries, they were disgusting from that dirty alleyway.” The alpha stated while wrinkling his nose in disgust, and casually looking over some seafood. The beta visibly tensed beside him and Kirishima turned to him his gaze waxed worried, gently cupping his shoulder. Yokozawa flinched violently nearly dropping the packaged pork from his frozen hands. The alpha withdrew his hand reluctantly bending down slightly to see his lover’s face. Kirishima’s eyes widening in shock at the single tear trickling down his beloved’s cheek.

“taka-“ the alpha started immediately moving a hand up to comfort his lover before being weekly shoved away.

“cut it out.” The beta sternly voiced, composing himself roughly wiping at his cheek with his sleeve while knocking the others hand away. Kirishima merely watched with a pained expression as his mate trudged down the aisle browsing various contents calmly, occasionally picking up something and inspecting the packaging before tossing it into the basket at his side. This stretched on for several minutes, until Yokozawa, seemingly satisfied with the amount of ingredients, decided to step in line for check-out wordlessly. Kirishima only intervened when Yokozawa reached into his pocket searching for his wallet after the total appeared on the small electronic screen. Before the beta could draw it out the alpha quickly took out his own handing over the payment with a fake dazzling smile and proceeding to usher his companion out the exit. 

The thin, plastic bags rustled at their sides from the light breeze as the two walked back. The silence persisted all the way back to the beta’s apartment building. And then through the elevator…the alpha’s lover not even sparing him a glance as he shoved his key in the lock and pushing the door open. The lights flicked on and the two removed their shoes before trudging towards the kitchen. The alpha closely observed the beta’s stiff movements as he moved about the kitchen placing things away going as far as to put away the dishes as well. The beta’s trembling hands lifted the last plate from the dishwasher before freezing up save for the slight trembling in his back and hands. ‘this is always the calm before the storm’ Kirishima thought with a concerned look.

As if on cue, the alpha watched in slow motion as his mate dropped the dish which came crashing to the ground shattering. The beta followed after the plate slumping onto his knees letting out a heart-wrenching sob his trembling hands hovering over the shards of ceramic littering the floor. Kirishima acted fast rushing to inspect his lover for injuries before turning to get a good look at him. Kirishima felt a pang of despair lance through his heart watching warm, salty tears rush down Yokozawa’s face in a steady stream. The alpha scrambled to pull his lover into a bone crushing embrace whispering comforting words into his ears. It seemed the reality of being attacked earlier finally came crashing down on Yokozawa’s seemingly unbreakable conscience. Kirishima wrapped him up in warmth with strong arms, dragging the beta forward to rest between his legs while he sobbed into his neck. 

After a while Yokozawa’s distress ceased, now merely letting out small hiccups and sniffs. Kirishima’s steady palm soothingly rubbing his back encouragingly never relenting. Not expecting to hear his mate speak so soon Kirishima hardly picked up what uttered from his mouth,

“how…can I-I stop this from happening… again?” the beta weakly questioned with a rough, scratchy voice. The alpha frowned in thought only one thing coming to mind. 

“well there is something I can do…” the alpha trailed off feeling the body cradled in his arms tense up in anticipation before it relaxed again at the next words 

“but I don’t feel like doing that to you right now.” The alpha spoke reassuringly with a sour grimace on his face. The alpha then rose from the floor bringing his mate along with him effortlessly lifting him up. The beta biting back a retort, instead opting for burying his face into the alphas scent gland. Setting the beta gently on the bed the alpha moved around the room in search of a change of clothes. Reaching out to lift up his mate once again he felt his hand fall back to his side. Kirishima watched his stubborn lover slide off of the bed onto shaky legs taking a tentative step forward, knees buckling until he was supported at the waist by a strong arm which ushered him to the bathroom. The alpha wordlessly turned on the tap motioning for his mate to step into the tub beside him. Watching his mate standing still as a statue, Kirishima took the hint and made to open the door.

“I’ll give you some privacy” the alpha spoke in a hushed whisper before gently opening the door twisting the knob. Kirishima grunted at a heavy force slamming into his back gripping his middle tightly. 

“Ta- “the alpha started but cut himself off, hardly hearing his mate speak in a hoarse voice,

“p-please don’t leave me alone.” The beta pleaded with a short whine. Kirishima felt his heart break at the pitiful whisper before swiftly turning around to return his lovers embrace. 

“I won’t, I promise” the alpha whispered out sincerely “I love you, Takafumi”

Kirishima was elated to hear his lover respond with a sputtering ‘y-yyou...too’ 

The alpha gently cupped his mates chin brushing the inky locks from his forehead to place a light kiss at the crown of his head. Kirishima continued farther down to the beta’s forehead before trailing down to each of his cheeks, his nose, and finally a peck on the lips. The alpha finally pulled away to look at Yokozawa’s face enveloped in a deep crimson, his gaze shying away from the other. Kirishima gave a small wavering smile before motioning for Yokozawa to get into the tub.

“are you sure you want me in here?” the alpha cautioned, not wanting to scare the beta away. He only got a subtle nod before his gaze was raking over his mate currently stripping himself of the clothes that still smelled like that wretched alpha. Kirishima barely held back a frightening rumble. He was going to make sure he was scrubbed free of that man. Yokozawa finally stepped over the edge of the tub letting out a soft sigh of content from the warmth and closing his eyes. 

Yokozawa slowly cracked open his eyes watching his lover’s cautious move towards him, and watching him take a seat at the edge of the tub.

“you’re not getting in?” The beta asked biting his lip.

The alpha shook his head while sincerely saying “no, unless you want me to” a lack of any teasing lilt to his voice or eyes. The alpha reached forward brushing his mate’s hair back making sure to let his fingers run over his scalp before pulling away. The beta looked away blushing before ducking his head to whisper out his next words

“c-could you...?”

The alpha sat shocked for a moment before nodding his head and standing up to remove his clothes. Kirishima couldn’t help but notice the gaze peeking from the corner of his lover’s eyes watching him hungrily, but decided to drop it. Almond locks swished around as the alpha stepped into the tub sitting across the beta, their knees bumping into each other slightly. Silence engulfed the room save for the residue water lightly dropping from the now dormant faucet.

Kirishima opened his eyes at hearing the water swish violently, sloshing up around his exposed skin above the water briefly. He watched as Yokozawa silently surged forward settling his back between the alpha’s legs, and resting against the expanse of his lover’s broad chest. The alpha felt his heart swell at the sudden display of affection, before carefully lifting his arms and encircling them around his mate’s middle before resting his chin on the shoulder in front of him. The two lazed around the bath for a while basking in each other’s comfort before the alpha grabbed some soap ready to scrub away the dirt and sweat their bodies had accumulated during the day. 

___

The two lovers finally emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed and incredibly clean in the new change of lounge clothes. Kirishima stepped out onto the veranda to collect some fresh air watching the sunset while slouched over the railing. The beta watched his lover look over the expanse of the city, the rays of sun catching in his eyes and hair just right giving them a golden glow as the breeze lightly rustled his hair. ‘The man was gorgeous’ the beta couldn’t help but think. Yokozawa caught himself and flushed, fleeing into the kitchen to prepare dinner throwing on a black apron.

Over the sound of chopping vegetables Yokozawa heard the telltale sliding of the glass door before hearing light, padding footsteps towards the kitchen. The beta tried his hardest to fight back the rising blush threatening to surface, lost in his own thoughts.

“Takafumi!” the alpha suddenly scolded with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. 

The beta flinched and lifted a questioning brow whilst turning to look at his lover, gaze following Kirishima’s extended hand pointing at the problem. Ah he forgot about that…The beta immediately flicked his gaze away cheeks heating up while remembering his embarrassing outburst from earlier.

“honestly you’re gonna slice up your feet walking around with that mess on the floor” the alpha sighed out grabbing a dust pan from a cupboard under the sink. Yokozawa’s ears picked up the clicking of ceramic shards as Kirishima swept them into the mini pan before tossing the remnants in the trash. The alpha washed his hands carefully and dried them with a nearby dish towel before turning to his lover.

“alright what can I help with?” the alpha asked with his arms folded over his chest casually resting his back against the counter. The chopping came to a stop and the beta turned to look at his lover incredulously.

“You can’t be serious right?” the beta fired back, watching a childish pout form on Kirishima’s face. 

“hey I’m not totally useless!” the alpha retorted feigning bruised feelings. “There’s nothing to do at your place, besides read and clean, but the place is already pristine!” Kirishima all but whined out. 

The beta let out an annoyed sigh before motioning for Kirishima to come over with an impatient huff. Coming up behind his lover the alpha felt unease rise in the pit of his stomach at the sight of the large knife donned in his mate’s hands. The beta fought back a snort, hearing his lover gulp audibly.

“Relax there’s no way I’d let you chop vegetables” Yokozawa reassured setting the knife down with a light clatter. The alpha visibly relaxed stifling a relieved sigh, watching his lover pick up a bowl full of meat from the adjacent counter holding it out to him.

“what do you want me to do with that?” Kirishima questioned taking the surprisingly light bowl from Yokozawa’s hands.

“set the burner on medium on the stove-top and put some oil in the pan, don’t add the meat until the oil starts crackling, and don’t forget to add a half liter of water partway through the cooking and regularly flip the strips of meat over.” The beta instructed a little too quick for Kirishima to understand. 

“eh…?” the alpha started trying to decipher what the beta just said frowning, what the hell was a liter? The alpha turned to his mate who rudely ignored him resuming in chopping the vegetables while muttering ‘you wanted to help’. Seems like he was on his own. The alpha shuffled about the kitchen grabbing a reasonably sized pan from a cabinet before switching on the burner. Kirishima clumsily spilled a little too much oil into the pan, cursing immediately. The beta beside him barely holding back a small smirk. The alpha waited impatiently tapping his foot before huffing and shoving the meat into the pan all at once. 

“OI! each piece has to be laid out carefully!” the beta barked out over the sound of sizzling meat. 

“yeah, yeah” the alpha replied gruffly, hardly listening to him at all. Kirishima watched the cooking beef beginning to brown, and frantically looked around for something to stir it with. As if reading his mind Yokozawa wordlessly handed him a wooden spoon before stepping over to the other end of the kitchen to prepare the rice. The alpha contemplated how to go about stirring up the contents before shrugging and shoving the spoon into the center of the pile of meat sizzling in the pan. Kirishima uncomfortably lifted up the heaping mess of beef before letting it flop back into the pan with a loud ‘SMACK’. Yokozawa jumped at hearing the obnoxious sound following a hiss of pain as some of the oil had splashed up onto his lover’s hands.

The beta rushed over to his mate who was now cradling his injured hand, and carefully taking it into his own inspecting the wound. It wasn’t bad as he thought it was only a few tiny specks had hit him, barely forming any marks. Yokozawa impatiently yanked Kirishima’s hand towards the sink turning the tap onto cold. He let the water run over the others hand to soothe the burn for a couple minutes before switching off the faucet and placing his hand in a dry towel. Yokozawa roughly dried his lover’s hands before thumping his lover on the head.

“you idiot! You were supposed to evenly space the meat to prevent that!” The beta groused. A genuinely hurt look crossed the alphas face for a split second before morphing into one of mischief.

“I never thought you would take care of me!” The alpha gushed happily, a playful glint in his eyes.

“A-as if!” Yokozawa stuttered out resuming his share of working on the dinner. Kirishima snorted before turning back to the crackling pan, resuming his light stirring. 

“don’t forget the water” the beta muttered reminding his lover.

“ah right” Kirishima voiced aloud reaching into the cabinet above his head next to the stove, the alpha wrapped his hands around a relatively large glass. Yokozawa watched warily from the corner of his eye as his mate padded over to the sink filling the glass to the brim with lukewarm water. The beta’s eyes followed the other back to the stove who proceeded to dump the entire cup over the contents of the pan. 

“Too much! That’s too much!” Yokozawa snapped immediately rushing over to lift the pan and carefully dump some of the searing water down the drain. ‘why did I let this guy in here in the first place!?’ the beta thought to himself gritting his teeth. A dejected sigh broke him from his thoughts and had him flicking his gaze over to the alpha. 

“here why don’t you add the vegetables now.” Yokozawa breathed out reluctantly, suddenly feeling bad for berating the other so harshly. Kirishima nodded stiffly in response, those almond waves bouncing lightly. Learning his lesson from the meat incident, the alpha carefully placed small handfuls of the mixed vegetables about the pan, proceeding to stir the concoction together. 

“here.” The beta spoke handing Kirishima a bottle containing soy sauce. 

“Thanks” the alpha muttered twisting the cap off and clumsily dousing the contents in the pan with an unreasonable amount. The beta inwardly cringed but decided to let it go, stepping back over to watch the rice. As the alpha stirred the sizzling food, he suddenly recognized the combination of beef and vegetables as stir-fry. After thoroughly cooking the main entree, Kirishima finally switched off the burner, setting the pan aside to cool down. 

Yokozawa stepped over upon hearing the stove flicker off, and nudged the alpha out of the way to inspect his work. ‘could be worse’ Yokozawa thought with a blank expression before turning to gather some dishes. The delicate bowls containing steamed rice clinked against the surface of the small tabletop. Kirishima brought over his own dishes consisting of his poorly cooked stir-fry while Yokozawa fled back into the kitchen to carefully bring the miso soup over. As Kirishima poured the tea into each other’s glasses, he warily watched his lover gently pick up a strip of beef with his chopsticks. With bated breath Kirishima watched his lover chew the food thoughtfully before swallowing finally speaking up

“it’s a little overcooked, and salty but good job”

The alpha’s heart swelled yet deflated at the same time at the mix of a compliment and complaint. 

The two quickly finished their food both rising to get seconds. Both men sat down before each other once again. The silence shattered when the beta opened his mouth

“I…didn’t go into heat today?” Yokozawa asked his lover in front of him.

The alpha only hummed around a vegetable in his mouth before deciding to speak gulping down the food in his mouth. 

“well you did undergo a lot of stress today, and admittedly we were already up pretty late in the morning before I called it a night” The alpha reminded and reminisced at their previous activities the day before. 

Yokozawa choked on his food immediately blushing, before reaching a shaky hand out to a glass for tea. 

“hey you asked!” the alpha reminded, watching his lover glare at him after gulping down a large sum of liquid. The alpha decided to continue now that he had his lover’s attention,

“Besides, you’ll be back to normal tomorrow morning I’m sure” the alpha smirked teasing the other.

The beta abruptly stood up, and stomped into his bedroom grumbling out ‘you do the dishes.’ before the door slammed shut behind him forcefully.

The alpha chuckled into the empty room before rising out of his seat to clean up. 

“Tsundere…” the alpha muttered, smiling to himself. 

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading I hope you guys aren't too upset with me! I rushed this chapter so that I could give you all a little Christmas gift just in time for the holidays, however it wont follow the plot of the story it will just be a short break featuring Hiyo and Sorata! If you find any mistakes or have anything to say please feel free to comment! kudos are also always appreciated I love all types of feedback! thank you so much for sticking with me and see you in the next chapter!  
> -Peachy


	5. *Christmas special* Mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't follow the same plot, but the same universe. Thank you for waiting, and happy holidays! the next chapter will be out VERY soon i promise! thank you,  
> -Peachy

“Yokozawa!” “Onii-chan!” two Kirishima’s shouted in unison gaining the beta’s attention. 

“y-yes?” Yokozawa asked uncomfortable under the intense matching almond gazes. 

“we need you to help!” Hiyori pouted. “oba-san could be here any minute” the 11-year old finished puffing out her cheeks.

“ah right, sorry” the beta apologized flustered. 

Today was Christmas day and the Kirishima’s turned out to be quite big on the holiday. The small family wanted to throw together a festive party for Hiyo’s grandparents, A.K.A, Zen’s parents. A small beeping rang throughout the cozy apartment, the beta quickly rushing over to the source. Yokozawa took the hot pie from the oven carefully with the help of two mittens. 

“Pie’s done!” Yokozawa called out to Hiyori, his gaze slowly turning towards the tree she was occupied with in the living room when he stopped dead in his tracks.

“OI! Idiot get down from there!” The beta barked out at the alpha currently wobbling off of the coffee table. 

“what were you doing up there?!” Yokozawa demanded with a furious glare.

This guy, he could’ve gotten seriously hurt!

“It’s a secret” The oldest Kirishima responded, making an action of zipping his lips.

Deciding to feign disinterest, the beta rolled his eyes and grabbed a bin of decorations from near the hallway closet. Yokozawa pursed his lips suddenly going stiff.

He didn’t know a thing about decorating! Sensing his lovers distress the alpha came to his rescue. 

“Here take these and wrap them around that tree over there.” Kirishima ordered, while handing him a tangled mess of multi-colored lights and pointing to the large, plastic decoration erected near the dining table. Hiyori was currently busying herself with hanging up some delicate, some cheap ornaments on the tree’s artificial branches. 

“ah, Onii-chan! You’ve come to help?” curious brown eyes bore into him. The raven nodded and lassoed the lights at the top of the tree, making his way around the cone shape, delicately hooking the lights onto the branches until he reached the bottom.

“Yay! Good job Onii-chan!” the 11-year old cheered clapping her hands. Kirishima crept over and shoved the light plug into a nearby outlet, and the room was bathed in bright rainbow light. The youngest Kirishima ‘ahhhed’ at the display admirably. 

“hmm…” the alpha mused aloud tapping at his jaw thoughtfully. “I think it’s missing something…” the alpha trailed off, his playful gaze fixated on Hiyori. The daughter’s eyes lit up and she scurried off to rummage through the bins before rushing back.

Tiny hands held a fragile looking star shape. The beta cocked his head in confusion at their interaction watching from nearby. The little girl lifted the star above her head has high as she could and giggled when Kirishima wrapped his hands around her waist lifting her effortlessly. The duo stepped forward mimicking a tower, and the beta watched as Hiyori leans over and gently places the large ornament on the tip of the tree while Kirishima holds her up high enough. Before the alpha lets her down, he does a twirl, laughing with his daughter and setting the now dizzy girl on her two feet. The beta smiled warmly at the exchange, not noticing the way his mate was looking at him mischievously.

“Onii-chan?” Yokozawa jumped at the sweet voice penetrating his thoughts. The beta directed has gaze to the 11-year old gently patting her head ready to say something before his alphas voice interrupted him,

“Hmm why was Onii-chan lost in his thoughts?” 

The raven and the small girl looked at Kirishima curiously.

“Could it be Onii-chan wants to be lifted up too?” The alpha asked, surging forward and wrapping his arms around his lover’s waist. 

“Wha? - OI LEMME DOWN” The beta shouted, flustered while thumping his fist against his mate’s shoulder. He didn’t expect him to do such a thing in front of Hiyori but he underestimated this man on a daily basis.

“haha! Papa stop teasing Onii-chan!” The precious daughter laughed out.

Kirishima decided he was pushing his luck, reluctantly setting his lover back down.

“yes, yes” the alpha said feigning dejection. There always was something else he could try. 

The beta watched his mate warily wondering what he had up his sleeve before he flinched at the sound of the doorbell. 

“ah! I’ll get it! the little girl shouted dashing towards the door. Not long after both men heard Hiyo’s sweet introduction, following the shuffling of feet. 

The grandparent duo looked up at their familiar son both giving him a tight hug before turning to the beta next to him.

“Takafumi-kun, it’s nice to see you again” the small fragile woman uttered offering him a hug as well

“Nice to see you too Kirishima-san” Yokozawa returned trying his best to hide the light blush dusting his cheeks. The beta turned his head to the woman’s husband who offered a polite nod, which Yokozawa kindly returned. The man seemed to know how affection made him uncomfortable which he was grateful for. Zen watched his parents interact with his beloved, lovingly before interrupting the nice atmosphere.

“who’s hungry?” the alpha asked clasping his hands together. Everyone turned to him while he pointed to the buffet-like setup in the kitchen. The elders made their way over slowly while Hiyori offered them  
help explaining each dish in detail. Everyone finally settled around the dining table all saying their thanks in unison before digging in. 

After the meal both grandparents praised Yokozawa’s expertise in cooking, who in return stuttered out a ‘thank you’ while rubbing the back of his neck. 

“let’s open presents now!” the 11-year old cheered ushering everyone to the living room, and picking up a present for everyone including the wild bear. The beta gratefully took the wrapped box into his hands waiting for everyone to finish tearing open theirs. ‘awws’ and ‘thank yous’ filled the room while Yokozawa finally started to unravel the carefully wrapped present. All Kirishima’s watched on the edge of their seats in anticipation. The beta allowed a small grin to grace his lips while he held up the navy-blue apron with an angry bear print on it. 

“I hope it’s your size Onii-chan!” the small daughter rushed out worriedly. He had been rather silent thought the whole exchange. 

“I…just thought you’d want your own apron rather than that girly one you borrow from me…” the girl trailed off, her hands fidgeting restlessly in her lap.

The beta was quick to lean over and ruffle the youngster’s wavy locks. 

“It’s really great Hiyo, I love it.” Yokozawa spoke in a soft tone, throwing in a small smile to show his gratitude. Though he could do without the bear design, he decided that he was going to be stuck with that nickname forever…after all he didn’t want to bruise any feelings.

“Really!? Papa helped me pick it out!” The 11-year old’s eyes lit up, responding gleefully.

“is that so…?” the raven trailed off sparing his lover, who was undoubtedly smirking, a warning glance. 

“ah, Takafumi you have to try it on so we know it fits.” The alpha leered suggestively while resting his chin in his cupped hands.

The beta was about to lash out at his mate but stopped himself at Hiyo’s pleading eyes. Yokozawa sighed reluctantly pulling the aprons strap over his head, smoothing it out and tying a neat bow in the back. The beta flushed, and coughed uncomfortably under everyone’s gaze.

“Onii-chan it looks so good on you!” The 11-year old cheered grinning brightly.

“well the party was very nice you guys, but we must be going to another engagement with our neighborhood association. Thank you very much we appreciate your generosity, nice to see you again Takafumi-kun.” the elderly woman known as Zen’s mother spoke up, on behalf of her husband.

“bye mom, dad.” Zen replied giving each a light hug before allowing Hiyori to squeeze in her own goodbyes. The trio saw them off, waving kindly, all smiles before the door softly eased shut. 

“ah!” the petite girl let out a light gasp, remembering something.

“I’ve gotta give Sora-Chan his present too!” Hiyori finished rushing off to her room, and emerging with a bag of her beloved cat’s favorite treats along with a new collar. 

Upon hearing the young girl call his name, the pudgy cat trotted his way over meowing in curiosity. Hiyo hummed happily as she clipped the new collar around the cat’s neck, and fed him a few treats. After the feline greedily gobbled up his treats while purring, he scampered off to the girl’s room, the owner giggling while hot on his heels.

“well I guess that leaves us alone then” a familiar alpha whispered hotly into his lover’s ear while gripping at his shoulders from behind. 

“cut that out!” the beta snapped, roughly slapping away the hands that were now gliding down his back. 

“you know I got you a present of my own…” Kirishima remarked, dropping his voice into a low seductive tone.

Yokozawa raised his brow at this hearing his mate rustle around behind him. The raven turned around in curiosity, immediately flushing at what his mate was waving in the air.

A small black headband topped with fluffy bear ears. The alpha wiggled his brow’s suggestively.

“How about we put these to good use?” Kirishima suggested attempting to push the accessory onto his mate’s head. 

“Fuck off!” the beta shouted, while shoving his lover away and tossing the bear ears at Kirishima’s face. 

“Takafumi, you don’t know how long it took me to find these!” the alpha whined following closely behind his lover who was now stomping towards the front door.

He was falling right into the alpha’s trap.

‘just a little further…’ the alpha thought before quickly snapping a hand out wrapping around his mate’s wrist. The two stood in the living room and Kirishima smugly pointed a finger up to the ceiling while restraining his beta. The raven tilted his head with an irritated glare, before looking up and feeling his heart plummet.

Above the pair dangled an innocent decorative mistletoe!

‘that bastard!’ The beta angrily clenched his free hand into a fist.

Not having any time to react he watched his lover’s lips descend onto his. Their heated lip-lock took Yokozawa’s breath away and the alpha pulled away smirking at his dazed mate.

“Merry Christmas” Kirishima whispered licking his lips suggestively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, we'll be back on track with the plot in the next chapter. Your kudos and comments always warm my heart and please let me know if I made any mistakes, see you soon!  
> \- Peachy


	6. Bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! It's time to get back to the actual story an there's some smut I threw in there ;) , so without further ado...

The beta fluttered his eyes open at the sunlight bleeding through his curtains. Yokozawa groggily shifted around in the bed…finding it completely empty. The raven now completely awake, shot up ignoring the heat prickling insistently throughout his body. Great he was in heat again. Yokozawa’s door noisily creaked open over the soft snoring omitting from the alpha sprawled on the tiny couch. Relief washed through the beta seeing his mate still here and creeped over to roughly shove at the older man’s shoulder. 

The alpha let out a grumble before shifting over turning away from the shaking force batting his attentions away. Yokozawa persisted to grapple at his mate’s shoulder demanding ‘wake up you idiot’.

The Alpha finally turned over releasing an annoyed groan while stretching his back. Warm amber eyes cracked open sleepily, somehow managing to look smug. The beta turned away shuffling about the living room checking to see if the alpha cleaned up the previous night. A loud dramatic yawn broke out through the room and Yokozawa whipped around hearing his mate step up behind him. In a flash the Alpha had his hips in a firm grip and he leaned in for a kiss but was rejected by a hand rudely shoving his face away. 

“brush your teeth first” the beta sniped, nose wrinkling in disgust. 

Kirishima let out a light chuckle before sluggishly dragging his aching body towards the washroom. Granted it was the alpha’s fault for falling asleep on the couch, but couldn’t help feeling a tinge of irritation well-up while his muscles persisted to cry out for relief. Kirishima finally emerged from the bathroom fresh from the relaxing shower. The alpha kissed his mate on the cheek before shoving him towards the bathroom.

“your turn!” the alpha uttered too cheery for the morning before walking past his lover with heavy footsteps towards the beta’s room. Almond eyes fell closed as the man flopped gracelessly onto the firm bed. The alpha lazed around for a bit before sitting up. He was getting bored. The man’s eyes scanned the room before halting at the sight of a small mediocre bookshelf. The carefully organized books piqued the alphas interest, and he slid off the bed kneeling down to pick through the titles. His hands finally resting on a latest issue of za-kann, Kirishima stood up making his way back over to the cozy mattress before settling down to flick his gaze over the recipes. 10 minutes had passed before the alpha became a little worried, and he worriedly looked to the door emitting soft light on the far-right wall. ‘he’s a grown man.’ Kirishima reminded himself turning back to his book.

His concentration interrupted when a crashing sound erupted from behind the bathroom door. The alpha immediately jumped to his feet rushing for the door, and yanking it open. Kirishima stopped in his tracks as his senses were immediately assaulted with an intoxicating aroma. The alphas pupils dilated and he could feel his breathing grow labored but quickly dismissed his arousal checking to see if his mate was alright. Said man was currently curled up on the tiled floor shivering and panting heavily while clenching his lower abdomen. The alpha knelt down his hands hovering over the other in shock 

“what’s wrong?” the alpha questioned cautiously fighting to keep his head from swimming. 

The beta weakly turned his head locking eyes with the blur before him, blinking away the water collected in his lids.

“A-Alpha…” Yokozawa muttered out while shaking with a violent tremble. Kirishima felt himself pitch a tent taking in his lover’s expression and the pheromones around them. A shaky hand reached towards the figure kneeling before him trying to grip the other the best he could with his impaired vision. A weak hand found purchase on Kirishima’s shirt, and the alpha snaked his hand down to clasp at the other responding with a low, rumbling growl. A wave of heat washed over the beta who groaned in discomfort before gasping out,

“I-It..burns...” while fisting his hand in the fabric clothing covering his mate more desperately. The steam from the recent shower left the room unbearably hot and the aroma emanating from the beta only stuck to the heavy air even more, driving both men mad with lust. Yokozawa could barely make out the conflicted expression on the other facing him before his vision began to swirl again. He dully registered being lifted by a pair of strong arms before he was carefully laid down on a firm mattress, the frame creaking under the added weight. Over the thumping of his own heart Yokozawa could hear his mate shucking his clothes off before he leaned down to do the same to the beta. Without protest the beta allowed Kirishima to rip his pants off urgently before he felt a slick finger prodding at his upper entrance. Yokozawa released a breathy moan feeling the finger tease him while another hand persistently messed with one of his nipples alternating until they were both red and swollen.

The beta arched his hips up, encouraging the alpha to hurry things along getting impatient. Kirishima chuckled and moved a hand to stroke his lovers straining shaft leaning down between his legs. Yokozawa flinched suddenly feeling his lovers slick mouth working heatedly at his member. 

“ah-haa.” the beta gasped out feeling his release creeping up, pooling low in his abdomen. The alpha increased the pace in his thrusting fingers currently buried in the beta’s quivering passage, mercilessly hitting the same spot over and over, while working his tongue fiercely. Yokozawa desperately clenched his shaky hands in his mate’s soft hair pulling hard. Kirishima groaned in a mix of pleasure and pain before taking the beta deeper into his mouth while adding a third digit. It didn’t take long for Yokozawa to moan heatedly while arching his back clenching his thighs around the alpha’s head. He blearily watched his lover pull off of his shaft and wipe his lips smirking at him seductively. Heat washed over the beta’s blissed out body, who curled in on himself panting while swinging an arm around his eyes. The impatient alpha grabbed both of Yokozawa’s legs forcibly spreading them apart, his own hips hovering over the others. Kirishima straddled his mate keeping his legs propped open while dragging his arms away from his face. 

“look at me.” The alpha demanded watching hazy eyes blink open. 

“that’s it.” the alpha praised in a hushed tone, ecstatic that his lover complied with is request without protest. The beta continued to stare back at his mate panting heavily before he felt a slick sensation trickle from between his legs.

“p-please…!” Yokozawa pleaded breathily. The alpha smirked deciding to tease his adorable lover.

“please what?” Kirishima urged, his hot breath blowing over his mate’s sensitive skin. The beta trembled a moment before gaining his courage and moved to grasp needliy onto the others tense back. 

“ta..take..me” Yokozawa finally whispered into his lovers’ ear. Kirishima felt himself twitch and grinned into the other’s flushed neck. In one fluid motion the alpha joined their hips thrusting in deeply. The body beneath him groaned and shuddered arching up to urge the other to continue. The alpha waited for the fog to clear from his head before giving a gentle thrust growling lowly into his mate’s ear. The beta whined and clenched around him in response feeling something slick rush out dripping from his stretched entrance serving to further lubricate their joining. 

No longer able to control himself Kirishima roughly plunged into his lover increasing the temp of his thrusts. Over the heavy pants and squelching sounds permeating the room Kirishima could barely hear Yokozawa moaning something heavily into his ear.

“K-Kirishima-san..I-I’m...ready” far past the ability to make conversation the alpha grunted out,

“I know I’m close too.” While continuing to thrust harshly feeling his release creeping up.

“No!” the beta shouted taking him off guard, the alphas pace stuttered to a stop while he looked down at his mate curious.

“Then what?” the alpha growled out, giving a punching thrust to express his frustration. 

“Mmm! M-marks. I-I’m ready to…” the beta trailed off lolling his head to the side in pleasure. 

Kirishima felt his heart stop, uncharacteristically flustered.

“A-are you sure?” the alpha asked incredulously, studying his lover closely. 

“yes.” Yokozawa groaned out while locking eyes with the body frozen stiff above him. 

A light blush dusted the alpha’s face in contrast to his mate’s deep crimson covering him from head to toe. Without warning Kirishima heaved himself upright, bringing his lover with him before re-entering, feeling his lover shudder and gasp. 

“a-little...warning-haa..would’ve been..nice.” the beta bit out, his complaint punctuated with heavy pants. The alpha didn’t bother to listen and only began to thrust with abandon while stroking his mate’s erection between their abdomens roughly.

Once again, the room came to life with sounds of labored breathing, and lewd slapping sounds. Yokozawa was now moaning heatedly, struggling to lift his hips for his lover to thrust deeper, far too gone to keep his voice in check. Each sound only fueled the alphas desire more. A tremor of arousal shot up the beta’s spine at a particular sharp jab to a sensitive bundle of nerves and he couldn’t help but dig his nails into his lovers back. Kirishima smirked against his lover’s skin aiming his hips to meet that sweet spot each time, the beta responding with pleasured groans. Both men were getting close to release when Kirishima gripped his lovers shaft squeezing tightly, denying his orgasm and making Yokozawa cry out in pain. The alpha apologized by leaning down to suck at one of his nipples before trailing his mouth up slowly to meet his lover’s lips. The beta allowed his mouth to be pried open and ravaged, frustrated when his mate pulled away licking his lips. Yokozawa’s hips shook between the two with need, and Kirishima finally decided to have mercy on the poor beta. Still gripping the others member tightly, the alpha looked up at his mate currently straddling his hips. 

“ready Takafumi?” the alpha growled out in anticipation. The beta enthusiastically shook his head, and leaned down to position his teeth over his lover’s neck while the alpha did likewise. Kirishima gave a few final deep thrusts feeling his knot catching on his lovers stretched entrance, and finally let go of the restrained member in his hand. Yokozawa trembled in pure bliss on the verge of tipping over the edge.

“now.” Kirishima growled out before biting down hard into his mate’s shoulder before gripping his hips and bringing him down on his shaft one more time letting his knot expand filling his lover with his evidence of release. The beta groaned as pleasure coursed through his body, barely able to bring himself to bite down on his alpha’s shoulder feeling his release spill within him in a fiery heat.

The two let go of their biting grip on each other before slumping in exhaustion panting heavily. Robbed of any exhaustion the beta felt his lids flutter heavily while leaning against his lover’s chest hearing his frantic, thudding heartbeat. The steady rhythm lulling him to sleep, he could faintly hear ‘Takafumi’ calling from afar before it faded out and everything went black.

\----

The first thing Yokozawa could notice when he cracked his eyes open was how different he felt. Emotions not belonging to him coursed through his body and his head was pounding. The beta frantically sat up cradling his aching head hearing his door creak open. 

“brought you some coffee.” Kirishima’s tender voice rung out softly against the beta’s bedroom walls. Yokozawa’s outstretched hands took the mug gratefully bringing it to his lips. 

“so, I figured since I sort of left you in the dark about heat cycles, I should probably tell you about these marks” the alpha said while pointing at the puncture on his neck. Yokozawa slowly nodded while taking another sip of his coffee.

“What you’re feeling right now is an overwhelming amount of emotion, that’s normal your body is just trying to get into tune with mine until our senses finally sync up.” the alpha carefully explained watching his beta lock eyes with him urging him to continue. 

“as our bodies finally match up, we’ll each be able to feel each other’s emotions.”

Yokozawa felt his heart stop at this, he didn’t like the thought of Kirishima knowing what he felt 24/7.

“also” the alpha continued tapping at his bite, “people will now be able to smell that you belong to me.” He got a glare for that one.

“and that I belong to you of course” the alpha teased watching his mate’s face heat up. 

“anything else I need to know?” Yokozawa grit out lifting the mug once again to take a sip of the hot beverage.

“hmm…” Kirishima scratched at his chin in thought, “not that I can- Oh!” the alpha suddenly cut himself off.

“this mark here will stay on you forever” the alpha spoke pointing at the matching bite mark on his mate’s shoulder. The beta grimaced at this. Does that mean…?

“what’s wrong?” the alpha asked concerned at his lover’s expression. 

“So, you still have the other…” the beta trailed off waiting for his lover to fill in the rest. 

“ah…” realization dawned on Kirishima, who quickly cleared his mate’s thoughts.

“My previous mark faded you see. Once your bondmate parts from you, the mark will eventually heal over, and everything feels very cold.” The alpha explained with a small, sad smile on his face.

Yokozawa felt a pang of guilt wash through him, feeling his mate’s sadness through their muddled, mixed mess of emotions.

“sorry, that was insensitive of me…” the beta apologized looking away from Kirishima’s pained expression. The alpha quickly surged forward cupping his mates chin in his hands. 

“there’s no helping it, you were curious.” The alpha soothed, gazing into his lover’s steel grey eyes.

Yokozawa gulped and shifted his gaze away uncomfortably. Kirishima leaned down to peck his forehead before pulling away enjoying his mates flustered reaction. The beta hopped out of the bed making a break for the bathroom to freshen up. When the door clicked shut behind him Yokozawa slumped against the door running his hands through his raven hair.  
“I’m in too deep…” the beta muttered out covering his eyes.  
The alpha on the other side of the door held back a light snort and opted to shuffle towards the lounge to get some work done on his laptop. ‘He really is too cute’ the alpha mused while sipping his own coffee.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for continuing to read my work, It truly motivates me to improve my writing. Your feedback is always appreciated. I love you all so much!  
> -Peachy  
> ps. the next chapter will be out VERY soon.


	7. Conflicted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK now we are finally getting somewhere with the actual plot! bear with me here, just a few more chapters and it'll really get interesting! thank you so much for reading as always and enjoy :)

It had been nearly a month after the beta’s heat cycle but he didn’t deem to be feeling any better, if anything he felt worse! Every morning this week he had a lack of appetite, but still felt nauseous constantly. Not to mention he was still shaky and sweaty all the time! Yokozawa ran a shaky hand through his hair visibly frustrated. His subordinate Henmi peeked over his monitor in concern.

“Are you alright sir?” The salesman asked, he was the only one brave enough to confront the ill-tempered bear after all.

Yokozawa couldn’t shake the feeling of Deja-vu before he let out a huff before replying with a short,

“fine.”

The other salesman flinched when the beta abruptly stood up, causing a dozen nervous glances to look his way. The wild bear scrutinized the room’s tense atmosphere with an intimidating aura surrounding him.

“I’m gonna take a break.” Yokozawa finally grunted out, stalking out of the room with his sweaty hands stuck in his pockets. While walking through the busy hallways the beta could hear hushed whispers as he passed by groups of people. It was no secret that the scents his mark let off belonged to none other than the popular editor in chief of Japun. And it was also no surprise that some of those hushed whispers were ones of jealously and anger directed towards him, even he had a hard time comprehending how he landed that handsome man... ‘if only they knew’ the beta thought, internally smirking about his mates flawed personality. He made his way over to the all too familiar vending machines punching in the code for a black tea before taking a seat at the nearest bench.

It was almost the end of his shift and he was exhausted. The beta slumped in his seat and came to a decision, he needed to visit the doctor tonight. Yokozawa slowly lifted his phone from his pocket typing a quick text notifying his lover of his planned location, once again learning from the last time. Seeing the message had been sent the beta snapped his phone shut with an annoyed sigh. What a day…

\----

Sterile air struck Yokozawa’s nose, and his face immediately scrunched up in discomfort. He hated hospitals. The beta checked in with the front desk before taking a seat in the waiting room getting comfortable

\----

10 minutes later a pudgy short nurse with red hair emerged from two double doors, to call out his name.

“Yokozawa Takafumi?”

Said man stood up and made his way over greeting the nurse with a friendly smile making light conversation. The small woman finally led them to a blindingly bright room with a small examination table and a few dull chairs against the wall. She motioned for the beta to take a seat on the table who complied without a complaint. 

“what’s the reason for your visit?” the nurse questioned her eyes peeking over the monitor. Yokozawa rubbed his neck in thought before finally giving his answer.

“prolonged cold symptoms.” His voice bounced off of the walls in the empty, bland room. The nurse nodded, her fingers flying frantically across the keyboard. The woman kept this up for a while, the beta trying the best he could to answer her questions. The nurse finally pulled away from the computer to check the raven’s vitals. She scribbled some notes down onto a clipboard before giving Yokozawa an update of his visit.

“the doctor will be with you shortly” The beta thanked the shorter woman who shot him a gentle smile before easing the door shut. 

five minutes passed and Yokozawa began tapping at his knee nervously eyes continuing to scan his surrounding already passing over the jar of cotton balls, and tongue depressors for the sixth time.

\----

After a 15 minute wait the doctor finally knocked at the door before cautiously opening it. 

“sorry about that wait” a tall, blonde woman wearing glasses and a high pony-tail finally stepped in apologizing.

Yokozawa proceeded to greet her before she started to ask about his prolonged symptoms. 

The beta did his best to explain the nausea, shakiness, and exhaustion plaguing him for the past month. The doctor hummed in thought before offering the beta his options. 

“well your symptoms match up with a lot of concerns, I’ll require some blood-work and a urine sample from you, if that’s alright.” The woman said, pen scratching away at the paper in her hands. 

“that’s fine.” The beta replied. He really hated getting his blood drawn but he had to stay healthy.

“great! I’ll just have you use that bathroom to prepare your sample, and the pathology center will be right down the hall to the left.” The doctor explained cheerfully handing him a small cup wrapped in a plastic bag. The beta took the contents and stood up to occupy the bathroom.

\----

After handing over his urine sample and completing his blood-work Yokozawa once again sat patiently in the waiting room. The doctor emerged after about a half hour calling out for him once again, and the beta stood up suddenly feeling jittery.

The doctor had an unreadable expression while they both sat down making themselves comfortable in the private room. 

“Your blood work may take a few days so we’ll keep you posted, but we have analyzed your urine sample. And I must say, we have found something quite interesting.” The doctor spoke with a straight face pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The beta’s breath caught in his throat waiting for the medic to continue. “it appears that you have come up positive for pregnancy” the doctor finished folding her hands in her lap. Yokozawa felt his heart stop. 

What? 

“It is rare for betas, especially male, to get pregnant. Your rank doesn’t posses the fertility that an omega does, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.” The doctor carefully explained showing Yokozawa a chart of his information.

T-This can’t be happening.

“Seeing your health documents, you’ve developed heat cycles yes?” the woman confirmed looking over her glasses with curious brown eyes. The beta stiffly nodded in response letting her continue, the word pregnant ringing in his ears over and over.  
“seeing how recent your last cycle was, the fetus was likely conceived during this period of time. I can tell this is quite a shock for you, however, there is a chance that the results are false, the human body is very finicky and sometimes tricks our methods of testing.”  
The beta gulped dropping his absent gaze to the floor hearing the woman drone on.

“There’s a chance that the results can also appear in your bloodwork. But the only true way to know is via ultrasound, I would recommend seeing a specialist right away” the doctor urged pressing a maternity center’s card into his empty hands. 

“Thank you.” Yokozawa finally managed to mutter out shaking the doctor’s hand. Before the beta walked through the door the doctor ordered him to call if he had any questions.

\----

The train ride back the salesman had his head cradled in his hands slumped over in his seat, his body being jostled around by the speed of the cart. 

What am I gonna do!? 

\----

10 minutes later the beta stepped off the train’s platform lit by soft street lights as the sun had already set nearly an hour ago. Yokozawa jogged off into a secluded area, while looking around cautiously. Assuring himself no one was around, he flipped out his cell phone and the card the doctor had given him. The raven’s fingers shook as he typed in each number one by one. The phone gave a few haunting rings before a monotone voice answered the phone. 

“Thank you, for calling Dr. Lin’s office, how may I help you?”

“ah, I’d like to set up an appointment for an ultrasound?” the beta questioned suddenly flustered.

“ok…and who am I speaking to?” the skeptical operator asked.

“This is Yokozawa Takafumi” the beta rushed out cringing at hearing his own name, mixed with another appointment.

“ah right! Dr. Kita said that you’d be calling,” there was a slight pause over the line before the now cheerful voice chimed in again.

“ok! Looks like I can squeeze you in tomorrow at noon, does that work?” 

Yokozawa contemplated the time for a moment before responding with a short ‘yes’. The beta heard scribbling on the other end, as the desk-woman filled in his appointment. 

“ok, remember come in tomorrow with exactly 40 ounces of water in your system or else it won’t work.” 

The beta nodded on the other end saying thank you before hanging up sighing heavily. 

‘Guess I should get some of those test thingy’s’ he thought trudging towards the pharmacy.

Sliding doors chimed announcing the raven’s entrance as he reluctantly made his way over to the intimate section. Yokozawa quickly swiped the nearest pregnancy test off of the shelf and turned towards the direction of the register before stopping himself... 

‘Might as well grab a couple’ the beta told himself while scooping up an extra and hurrying over to the register shakily placing them on the counter. The teenage cashier never spoke a word, but Yokozawa couldn’t help but feel silently judged. He was mortified. Unable to bear the embarrassment the beta quickly snatched up the bag from the teenager’s hands foregoing the receipt and slamming a little over the due amount onto the counter before dashing out the door. He quickly pushed the products into his brief-case before sighing and setting a mud-like pace to the Kirishima’s residence.

\----

A lazy amber gaze follows cartoon characters flying across the tv screen while a pairs of lips slowly sip from a can of beer. The man's other hand reaches down to rub a petite girl’s back soothingly as she dozes off.

A soft click resounds through the apartment and the alpha turns his head to see the familiar wild bear leaning down to remove his shoes. When his mate stands back up Kirishima notices he looks deathly pale, and exhausted. He gently sets his beer on the coffee table and slowly eases the sleeping 11-year-old off of his lap. 

The beta stands frozen stiff in the doorway watching his lover make his way over to him. 

‘How am I supposed to face him right now?’ Yokozawa thought, gritting his teeth.

Kirishima can sense his mate’s inner turmoil and tries his best to soothe him with a low, soft growl. The beta visibly relaxes but continues to stare at him with his signature glare, not wanting to give himself away. 

“Is something wrong? Here let me take that.” The alpha says quietly, not wanting to rouse his sleeping daughter. Yokozawa watched his lovers hand reach towards his briefcase before gathering his thoughts, his notes about his appointment and those stupid tests were in there! 

Kirishima narrowed his eyes when his hand was roughly slapped away. The beta looks like he’s about to start shouting but stops when the alpha raises a finger to his lips, and points to the snoozing figure on the couch. Yokozawa’s mouth snaps shut and he side-steps his lover to carefully walk over and glide his fingers through her soft caramel hair. The child hums sleepily and a soft smile crosses her face. 

“she tried really hard to stay up, she’s been bugging me to bring you over here. I almost dozed off myself.” The alpha whispers chuckling. The beta allows a small smile to reach his face that lights his eyes momentarily before his mind backtracks to his doctor visit, a grimace replacing his soft expression. 

A light yawn surprises both men, and Yokozawa flinches back when the sleeping 11-year old’s brown eyes peek open. The girl’s lids flutter for a moment before she finally focuses on the man in front of her, her face immediately lighting up.

“Onii-chan!” an ecstatic voice shrieks following a petite girl flying towards her beloved friend. The beta lets out a soft grunt, feeling the force of the 11-year old knock into his chest. 

“H-Hiyo, its nice you see you” Yokozawa coughed out the familiar nickname while patting the girls head, who continued to cling to him with a vice like grip.

“Are you hungry? We still have some leftovers, I made your favorite!” Hiyori cheered with sparkling eyes.

“ah I guess I could eat.” The beta said, absently rubbing his stomach.

“great! Papa helped me make it too!”

Yokozawa flipped around eyeing the alpha warily, who raised his hands innocently.

“hey I only made the rice.” The alpha quickly explained with a sly smirk at his lover. Hiyo released her grasp on the other man and ran over to the fridge gathering their leftovers from the recent dinner. The beta watched the girl bound around the apartment enthusiastically, excited for her Onii-chan to try her famous recipe. 

Ah, he missed this.

A steady hand clapping his shoulder broke him of his thoughts.

“you’re staying tonight, right?” the alpha asked, sounding more like a demand than a question.

Yokozawa contemplated for a while before humming in agreement. It was Saturday tomorrow anyways, so it couldn’t hurt, and he’d really like to spend some time with the little princess Hiyori. Kirishima’s eyes lit up and he shot his lover a light grin before bending over to retrieve his half-empty can of beer.

The microwave beeped signaling the beta’s meal was finished cooking and Hiyo happily hopped over to the table setting out a pair of chopsticks. Yokozawa took a seat which the polite girl had pulled out for him, and thanked her for the food.

“ah...” the sleepy daughter finally yawned out, giving in to the fog taking over her mind.

“it’s getting late young lady, let’s go tuck you in.” Kirishima whispered ruffling the girl’s unkempt hair. Hiyo nodded in agreement with her eyes half shut, grabbing at her father’s hand and sluggishly trudged to her bedroom. 

Minutes later the alpha emerged easing the door shut behind him with a soft thump. The beta had finished his food rather quickly, he was more famished than he thought. 

“mmm” the beta hummed satisfied while patting his full stomach. A noise some yawn interrupted the silence sitting heavily over the small apartment. 

“well I’m off to bed” the alpha said tiredly waving his hand as a farewell, knowing his mate wouldn’t dare take a step into his room. Yokozawa let out a grunt in agreement and stood up to clean his dish.

The beta cautiously glanced around before making a break for the bathroom tightly gripping his briefcase.

\----

After several agonizing minutes the plastic stick finally beeped showing a similar result to the previous positive one in the beta’s shaking hand. He tossed the evidence into his brief case again, and Yokozawa scrubbed his hands fuming. 

‘No way!’

The running tap sputtered to a stop and the beta warily made his way to the familiar guest room, Hiyo was here after all and Kirishima was a major bed-hog.  
Yokozawa’s head finally made contact with the fluffy pillows, and he soundlessly drifted off into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to get my next chapters out within the span of 4 days, we'll see how much free time I have. Your feedback is always appreciated! thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter!


	8. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! sorry this chapter took so long, I've been a little busy. Happy late new year! lets hope this year is better than the last! Thank you for continuing to read my story please let me know what you think or if you see any errors, love you guys! enjoy  
> ~peachy

Hiyori woke up to the enticing smell of pancakes, and the sweet girl immediately sat up just knowing it was her dear Onii-chan. She grinned brightly, gently lifting the cat perched on her legs who hissed in protest.

“sorry Sora-chan!” the little girl called out to the cat that was now scurrying under her bed. 

Hiyo swung her door open to see her beloved friend and father talking in the kitchen. Her Onii-chan’s voice raised slightly before he was turning around abruptly and flinching in surprise. The Beta was dressed casually in a black shirt paired with a faded pair of jeans, while her father was still donned in his sleep clothes.

“ah H-Hiyo! Here I made breakfast.” The beta spoke softly passing a hefty plate that was balancing a tall stack of pancakes into her tiny delicate hands. The little girl gratefully took the plate and settled at the nearby dining table. As she began digging into the fluffy food, Hiyo could hear hissed whispers arise in the kitchen once again. 

The 11-year old raised her head curiously, seeing her papa reach a hand towards her Onii-chan before he’s slapped away and the beta is running out the door.

“Pa-err...Father?” the small girl questioned. The alpha wore an unreadable expression while holding his stinging hand before turning to his daughter asking if she’d like to go shopping today while kneeling down and ruffling her hair. Hiyo’s eyes lit up brightly and she was in her room in seconds, changing into her favorite watermelon print dress.

\----

Yokozawa set a reluctant pace towards the train that would take him to the maternity clinic for his appointment. 

During his ride over the beta sat silently gazed out the window, agonizing over what was to come. But there was more than one problem now.

He really had to pee! And yet he couldn’t, relieve himself because he needed to have a full bladder to be able to see anything since there was no baby bump yet…

‘Wait. yet?? Calm down. It could be a simple error.’

This was so frustrating!

And worst of all he had no idea how he was supposed to break the news to Kirishima… if there even was news…

The train’s bell chirped alerting the passengers that they were coming to a stop. Yokozawa hopped off of the cart and made his way over to the hospital just down the street. His trek was rather uncomfortable considering the unbearable tingling in his lower abdomen. The beta checked in at the desk and stiffly sat down squirming to get comfortable so as to not push on his full bladder anymore.

Blessedly the wait was only a few minutes and very short lived, however it felt like an eternity with all of the indifferent gazes fixated on him…these were all women…

The beta kept his head low while meeting the nurse at the doors. 

He was asked the same spiel of questions that the doctor had asked of him the day before and he answered them all with ease this time.

The nurse stood up and silently walked out of the room, and the beta raised a questioning brow. He felt really unwelcome here…

Yokozawa shifted uncomfortably, looking up when hearing a doctor’s heels clack on the floor. The doctor kindly smiled taking a seat on the swivel chair in front of the computer screen. That was the first friendly gesture he’d received since his arrival.

“Yokozawa Takafumi, beta?” the medic confirmed, allowing the words to roll off her tongue experimentally while reading the clipboard in her delicate hands. 

The beta nodded politely trying not to show his discomfort.

The doctor saw right through his facade and snorted.

“well you don’t look too comfortable, but that’s good, means you did your homework which will make this much easier.” The woman said standing up to flick off the lights, and gesturing for the raven to lie down on the table. 

Yokozawa complied wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. The doctor handed the man a small white towel asking,

“can you pull your pants down just a tad, and push your shirt up?” 

The beta did as he was asked, trying not to blush while covering his lower region with the towel, he really hated being this exposed.

Without warning a warm hand smothered cool gel across his lower abdomen and Yokozawa shuddered at the strange feeling. The computer beeped to life and the doctor beside him picked up the wand off to the side beginning to press it against where his bladder sat. His sharp ears could pick up the faint thudding of his own bodies pulse from the speakers.

“hmm…” the woman mused aloud before pressing the wand down a bit harder, making the beta jerk in discomfort.

“ah, sorry…just looking for…oh-!” the doctors movements stopped abruptly and she snapped a picture of whatever she focused the screen on. The beta shifted to look at the screen seeing a black and white live visual of his organs moving around. 

The medic pointed at the screen with a long nail tapping against the glass. 

“see here?” she asked turning the monitor slightly.

Yokozawa curiously gazed at the screen, noticing a pea sized shape nestled within his reproductive organs. The beta’s stomach lurched, and he suddenly felt ill. The doctor snapped one last picture, pressing the space bar on the keyboard before waltzing over to flick on the lights.

“so, there is about a 70% chance that you are indeed pregnant, however the development is far to small to be able to tell what that really is. Not to mention with your rank and gender, the fetus might not even develop at all” The doctor said pointing at the infrared dot, and handing the beta a copy of the photo, who took it with shaky hands.

“judging by your reaction and lack of any potential father around, there are always other options: abortion and adoption” the doctor listed trying her best to reassure the distressed beta.

Yokozawa felt his heart seize at the word’s abortion and adoption.

The woman kindly handed him an array of pamphlets. 

“I want to see you back in here in 2 weeks, so that we can confirm what is really going on, think everything over.” She said opening the door and pointing her patient towards the nearest bathroom. 

Having completely forgotten the persistent tingling in his bladder, the beta once again felt the uncomfortable sensation lance through his lower abdomen. He thanked the medic and rushed towards the bathroom to finally relieve himself.

\----

A father daughter duo walked around a small park, the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing mosquitos attracted to the nearby pond filled in the comfortable silence between them. A warm amber gaze watched his daughter happily busy herself with the melting berry-flavored ice cream in her hands. Large shopping bags rustled to a stop and rested at the carrier’s side who halted beneath a large sakura tree. 

‘here is good’ the alpha thought and set down the bags in the shade while standing near the base of the tree. Curious almond eyes met her fathers matching ones as she set the remnants of her ice cream in the trash before skipping over to him.

“What’s wrong papa?” the cheery girl asked who quickly covered her mouth and looking around to ensure no one she new heard her slip of the tongue.

The alpha chuckled while gazing at his daughter lovingly. He took a deep breath before saying,

“Hiyori there’s something I want to tell you” hearing her dear father speak her full name instead of the adorable nickname, she immediately perked up knowing this was serious. She nodded to signal for him to continue.

“There is someone in this world who I have fallen hopelessly in love with.” Kirishima sighed out watching the youngsters every move, and gripping at her fragile shoulders tightly. The girl stiffened further, hearing the world ‘love’. 

“Who is it?” the small girl asked with a trembling voice. Was it that weird lady at her art show last year?

“You actually know them very well.” The alpha instantly replied.

He watched Hiyo’s face scrunch in thought before the realization dawned on her expression. 

“Yokozawa-Onii-chan?” she asked softly, staring up at her father who nodded lightly.

The alpha watched his daughter lower her head, her wavy brown locks covering her face. Seconds later he heard sniffling and was ready to rush forward and comfort her but he halted, hearing a trembling voice barely above a whisper say

“…I’m so glad.”

Kirishima blinked. “come again?” he asked calmly over the sound of his hammering heart.

“I’m so glad papa found someone to love again.” A tearful almond gaze met her father’s as she clearly spoke her piece, voice only wavering slightly. Kirishima smiled warmly hearing his daughter call him ‘papa’ the youngster having completely forgotten her stubborn streak of saying ‘father’.

The alpha watched his daughter furiously wipe away the tears from her eyes before she was launching forward. Kirishima reflexively opened his arms to wrap his daughter in a loving embrace, and bury his nose in her soft hair while listening to her muffled sniffles. The alpha tightly wrapped a strong arm around his daughters lower back while he calmly stoked her soft hair and down her spine.

The 11-year old finally stole a glance at her father who had tears of his own streaming from his amber eyes. 

“why is papa crying?” she asked curiously who got a pat on the head as response. 

“Because papa is so happy. Your mama would be so proud of you.” Kirishima murmured softly into her wavy locks before he gently set her back on the ground. Soft pink petals rustled and elegantly fluttered around them, before they felt a warm breeze comfortingly envelope their figures.

“let’s go home to see Onii-chan.” The alpha said while wiping the remnant saltwater from his face with one hand and grasping a delicate hand with the other. A blindingly bright grin split across Hiyo’s face as she blinked away some stay tears. The small girl nodded her head enthusiastically while giggling, and gathering up her shopping bags returning a tight squeeze on her father’s hand. 

\----

As the beta stepped out of the examination room, he went straight to reception to plan a follow-up appointment. The receptionist seemed very rude and snarky but he did his best to ignore it. The desk-lady’s eyes roamed over his figure criticizingly before she swiveled her back to him and scoffed. Yokozawa frowned taking the card that she rudely threw at him while barking out date, and he walked out in a daze. 

‘did I do something wrong…?’ the beta thought. Deciding not to dwell on it, he shrugged it off and briskly walked towards the train. 

Afterall there was still daylight to spend with Hiyo and he wanted to make up for lost time-

The beta stopped dead in his tracks to see his mate and an all too familiar little girl standing under a shaded tree covered in pink blossoms.

He watched from afar as the 11-year old wiped something from her face before flying into her father’s embrace.

‘I shouldn’t be here’ Yokozawa thought and quickly pocketed his card and picture with shaking hands before running off to the shuttle. 

\----

The beta sighed while he kicked his shoes off into the empty Kirishima’s apartment.

Maybe he was a little to harsh on his mate this morning…

Yokozawa looked around, deciding to clean up the place while they were out, and prep something for an early dinner. 

\----

Kirishima and Hiyori both stepped into their familiar entryway exhausted, and they began shuffling around to remove their shoes. 

A mouth-watering aroma of cooking food agitated their empty stomachs just as Yokozawa rounded the corner, wearing the bear apron he’d received as a Christmas present a long time ago. The angry cartoon bear’s face was a little faded from use, but still visible. 

“w-welcome back” the beta stuttered out awkwardly. The alpha leaned forward to drape himself over his lover’s shoulder, releasing a dramatic sigh.

“what a day!” he groaned out while smirking at his lovers flushed expression.

“o-oi! You’re heavy.” Yokozawa complained gently shoving at his mate’s chest. 

Hiyo giggled at her father’s open affection and dashed into the kitchen to throw on her apron. 

“what can I help with?” the small girl asked enthusiastically.

“ah Hiyo, I’m sorry but I’ve already finished preparing everything, it’s almost done. 

“oh, I see…” The precious girl pouted with downcast eyes.

“Why don’t you go ahead and set the table?” The beta rushed out upon seeing the youngster’s disappointment.

“okay!” she instantly replied, full of joy once again. 

Kirishima chuckled while leaning against the wall, watching his lover and daughter busy themselves about the apartment. 

“Do we have any beer left?” The alpha asked while slyly groping at his mate’s backside and casually bending over to rummage through the fridge.

“papa! You’re gonna get fat if you keep drinking all that beer!” the small girl chided from the dining table with her hands on her hips.

“OI, just who’s getting fat-!! OW DAMMIT” the person halfway deep into the fridge bellowed in response, muffled by the small space they were in.

Kirishima had bumped his head in surprise on the roof of the fridge and upright himself too quickly, making him wince when a sharp pain lanced up his spine. The alpha groaned in pain massaging both areas he injured. 

The beta observed his lover and smirked, “serves you right, old man” he teased getting revenge for his wandering hands from earlier.

“C’mon since when are both of you ganging up on me?” the alpha whined, trying to cover up how he was genuinely hurt by his daughter’s comment.

“Dinner’s ready” Yokozawa interrupted while tapping a wooden spoon on one of the pans, the sound ringing off of the walls of the apartment. Hiyo hurriedly rushed over to gather everyone’s servings. 

After they all finished their dinner rather quickly, Hiyo suggested they watch a movie to end the day. Both men complied seeing that they had nothing else to do. The girl proceeded to whip out her all-time favorite that Kirishima had seen about 34 times, making the alpha groan in protest. Hiyo ignored him and fed the CD to the player, and fiddled with the remote before seating herself between the two others occupying the couch. 

“Onii-chan hasn’t seen it so hush!” The precious girl reminded her father who rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair.

About 30 minutes in, Hiyo had passed out comfortably snoozing on her father’s arm. Her soft snores could be heard over the quiet dialog between a princess and some mythical creature Kirishima could give a damn about. Yokozawa flicked his gaze over to his bored lover who blinked lazily while stoking the cat nestled in his lap, close to snoozing off too. The beta took a deep breath before gathering his courage to say what he wanted to

“I-I’m sorry about this morning I was being a little irrational.” He whispered out peeking at his lover from his peripheral. 

The alpha merely snorted softly in response,

“There’s no need for you to apologize, most of our spats are my fault anyways.” Kirishima whispered back staring straight into the side of his lovers flushed face. The beta opened his mouth to say something when it suddenly snapped shut, hearing the sleeping girl shift around and grumble before going still again. The alpha brought a finger to his lips and silently lifted his daughter up, carefully trudging towards her bedroom, a drowsy Sorata hot on his heels. Yokozawa remained seated on the couch fiddling with his hands in his lap. The door behind him softly creaked shut and he instantly felt his lover’s hands on his shoulders. Kirishima leaned down to the beta’s ear and whispered,

“Can you sleep in my room tonight?” The alpha quietly pleaded. The beta grunted softly mulling it over. He couldn’t exactly refuse him, after blowing up at him earlier… It felt like an eternity and the alpha was pulling away ready to face rejection when he caught a stiff, single nod from a raven head. Kirishima grinned and quickly pulled his lover to his feet and shoving him into his bedroom.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is when things start getting interesting...I think. Thank you so much for reading and see you soon in the next chapter! Your kudos and comments will always warm my heart!  
> ~peachy


	9. The truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with a new chapter for you guys! I feel like I've read this too many times so if you guys see any errors please feel free to tell me. I'll let you get to it, enjoy!

“you’re here for a follow-up appointment?” a young man with an oddly shaped goatee asked, looking over the fidgeting beta.

“yes” Yokozawa replied, nodding curtly. 

“ok just take a seat and Ms. Lin should be right with you.” The receptionist said, pointing at the expansive waiting room occupied by other patients. The beta sat down in the seat nearest to him trying to ignore the judgmental gazes fixed on him.

“Yokozawa, Takafumi?” a nurse dressed in bland scrubs asked the quiet room. The raven stood up and walked over to be led into a familiar examination room to promptly sit down on the table.

“looks like you’ve got your information with us already.” The nurse mused aloud before switching off the computer and turning to him.

“she’ll be with you in just a few minutes.” And with that the medic in training was gone, leaving the beta to sigh into an empty room. A knock on the door and slight twist of the handle announced the doctor’s entrance, who quickly sat down pulling on some gloves. 

“alright, now lie back and try to get comfortable.” The doctor urged, waiting for a moment and then slathering cool gel impatiently across Yokozawa’s lower abdomen. The beta jerked in discomfort, and his ears quickly picked up the steady thrumming of his own body. After the doctor shifted the wand around for a while, she abruptly stopped to scrutinize something before snapping a picture.

Yokozawa twisted in place getting the sense of Deja-vu once again

“Wow! We are seeing some development!” the woman cheered clapping her hands together excitedly.

Yokozawa’s blood ran cold but he kept a calm mien, eyes flicking over the now blank screen.

“ok, so now we talk about where to go from here. Have you had a chance to think over your options?” The doctor asked, folding her hands together and crossing her legs. The beta turned his head away and shook it from side-to-side.

“Hmm, ok so let’s assume you decide to go through with the pregnancy. I need to warn you about the various health risks that it will bring to light.”

The beta nodded in response eyeing the doctor carefully.

“Beta’s, especially male, have an unfit body type for child-bearing. Your rank just does not possess that power of fertility, nor the physical stability. When an omega presents, they immediately start preparing their reproductive organs, however a beta’s will remain dormant, making it dangerous for the child to develop and to the health of the carrier. The unnatural release of hormones can cause many organs to shut down, and heart failure during birth is a huge risk.” The doctor explained waiting for the beta’s response.

Yokozawa blinked soaking everything in, waiting for her to continue. 

“You however, are born with an uncommon condition. You possess the ability to create and bear children. This happens when your body gets an equal stock of each hormone when presenting. Most of the time people with your condition will present as male and the uterus will remain inactive, unless heat cycles are developed.”

The beta raised a brow urging her to finish her claim.

“Since your uterus and ovaries remain dormant most of your life, sudden use can cause your body to go into shock. Luckily for you this has not been the case. However, that does not mean that you aren’t in any danger. You will have to take good care of your body, and if you get sick it could put you at critical risk. Your pregnancy, if you wish to carry it out, will be much more difficult than that of an omega’s. Please be sure to keep your stress levels as low as possible” The woman finally finished, handing him another fan of informative pamphlets. The beta accepted them and shook the doctor’s hand. Rushing out of the doctor’s office, foregoing making a follow-up, and going back to the office Yokozawa felt absolutely dazed and lost. 

He was the king of stress! How was he supposed to relax now!?

\----

Kirishima sighed as he stepped onto the elevator. He was famished and it was only 2:00, he still had at least 5 hours left! The alpha impatiently pressed the lobby button and proceeded to tap his foot on the solid flooring of the lift. The elevator dinged and the heavy doors rolled open to reveal his beloved beta standing just as impatient as him who was drenched in sweat.

“oh, Yokozawa! What’re you doing down here?” the alpha asked sizing him up, he looked really nervous... and pale. His mate wasn’t responding and Kirishima grew concerned. He waved a hand in the salesman’s face which got his attention. 

“you’re not getting sick, are you?” Kirishima questioned pressing a smooth, cool hand against his lover’s forehead. A clammy hand grasped weakly around the alpha’s wrist and shoved him away rudely. 

“I’m fine, just out making my rounds.” The beta lied, not meeting his mates interrogating gaze.

“ok…well see ya!” Kirishima said reluctantly stepping through the doors and hailing a cab.

‘weird’ the alpha thought, but quickly shook it off.

\----

Yokozawa stepped off of the elevator sluggishly onto the editing floor that housed the emerald department. The beta sauntered over ready to pick up some sales data when he halted, seeing dark spots forming in his vison. The salesman began to lose balance and become increasingly dizzy, the last thing he saw before everything went black was a pair of concerned emerald green eyes and a distant voice shouting his name.

\----

When Yokozawa came to, he could hear the faint beeping of a monitor at his side and then he could sense thin tubes tangled about his arms. Hazy grey eyes blinked open, surveying the room. Finding the insistent fluorescent light far too bright, the beta hissed in annoyance quickly squeezing his eyes shut.

“Doctor he’s awake!” Yokozawa distantly heard a distorted voice shout. The salesman fought to clear the fog obscuring his senses and finally blinked his eyes open once again only for all of his breath to leave him in an instant. 

There resting on a chair adjacent to his bed, sat his least favorite person. Onodera Ritsu.

But wait… If he’s the only one here, then he must be the reason why I made it to the hospital safely. The beta quickly pushed his irritation deep down and maintained a civil demeanor. Yokozawa struggled to sit up, voice hoarse from being knocked out for who knows how long.

“Onodera-“ the beta started but was quickly interrupted by the clacking of heels against linoleum. 

“There’s those eyes!” a familiar blonde doctor remarked, the first one he visited before the maternity clinic, Dr...Kita? he thinks, trying to put a name to the friendly face. 

The medic cleared her throat, taking a seat on a swivel chair nearby and rolling towards the bed.

“From what your friend told me, you blacked out in your workspace, correct?” the woman inquired examining her patient’s vitals. 

“uhh- I…guess so…” the beta trailed off not really remembering what happened. The brunette seated on the chair nodded in agreement to confirm the doctor’s question.

“Well I have some important news for you. I don’t know If you visited the clinic I recommended yet, but your labs came back and we can now finally confirm from your blood work that you are indeed- “

“AH! - Onodera may we have the room please?” Yokozawa quickly cut the doctor off, this was not something he wanted the editor to know.

The young editor nodded his head politely and stepped out of the room clicking the door shut behind him. The beta sighed in relief turning back to the doctor.

“s-sorry I probably should’ve asked if you wanted some privacy, I just thought you two were close.” the doctor apologized while bowing deeply.

“its fine, and there’s no need to tell me. I’ve had a couple ultrasounds done and I know what is going on.” Yokozawa filled in for the woman.

“ah, good then.” The doctor replied with a soft smile.

“well I still want you to take care of yourself, you are clearly lacking rest. I would get home as soon as possible, and stay away from work for a couple days, to recover. Also make sure that your water intake is normal, from what your friend said, you’re a salesman and I know how much walking is involved.” The woman urged, not looking to negotiate.

The beta nodded firmly and watched the medic exit the room. Shortly after, Onodera ducked in to gather his things.

“looks like they’re planning to discharge you within the next few hours, you were just exhausted and a little dehydrated. Oh, and don’t worry you’ve only been here for about an hour.” The editor spoke while checking his watch. Upon hearing no immediate response Onodera lifted his head to meet the bed-ridden beta’s eyes, a distant fire sparking in his own green ones.

“umm, could you tell me what happened?” the beta asked, rubbing the back of his neck, the iv rustling annoyingly at his side.

“At the office?” Onodera asked with a raised brow not expecting Yokozawa to be to compliant in conversing with him.

Yokozawa nodded, not really up for speaking right now, it hurt his throat.

“Honestly I was so shocked when I saw you collapse! I was on my way to deliver the sales data and I rounded the corner just in time to see you falling over.” The editor sighed out.

“S-sorry for causing you trouble.” The salesman bit out uncomfortably while scanning around the room for something to drink, he really didn’t want to be in this shrimp’s debt.

“It’s nothing.” The editor brushed it off just as awkwardly. “I should really get back or I’m gonna get chewed out by Takano-san for sure.” He sighed glancing at his watch, suddenly antsy. 

Yokozawa turned away looking out the window just a distance from his bed finally spotting some water on the end-table beside him. The beta gulped down the contents greedily before gasping lightly for breath.

“oh, and one more thing…” Onodera trailed off, standing stiff at the doorway, a slight flush covering his face. “I know.”

The beta raised a curious brow at this while wiping his mouth against his sleeve. What the hell did he know?

“…about what’s going on…” the editor added another fragment, really hoping he didn’t have to say more.

Realization flooded through the beta who quickly paled. ‘Don’t panic, it could be about work’ Yokozawa reassured himself.

“I have no Idea what you’re talking about.” The raven stubbornly scoffed, now scowling. 

“You know omegas can smell pregnancy, right? You’ve been giving off that sickly-sweet smell for the past month.” The editor deadpanned, done with the games.

The beta gulped, of course he himself had noticed but had convinced himself nobody else would be able to smell him. This wasn’t good. ‘how many people know?’

“No one knows, it’s just me. Besides alphas don’t know what a sweet scent means unless someone educates them, it’s mostly a paternal instinct for omegas to be able smell others that are expecting since our nature is to nurture.” Onodera reassured almost like he read the beta’s mind, but he quickly opened his mouth again to ask,

“Who’s is it?” 

“None of your damn business.” The salesman snapped.

“Ok then I’m going to assume it’s Kirishima’s” the omega remarked. At a questioning brow from the bed-ridden salesman, Onodera sighed out,

“You’ve got his smell all over you.” 

Yokozawa reflexively slapped a hand over his mark. Only alphas were supposed to be able to tell! The beta grit his teeth ‘I’m gonna kill that bastard’

“How?” the raven dangerously growled out.

“I’ve got a better nose than most omega’s and you’re in an enclosed space constantly. Not to mention you spend ungodly amounts of time at his place with his kid.” The omega replied without looking him in the eye.

Yokozawa didn’t seem convinced, and the editor finally caved,

“Fine, fine Takano-san told me.” He muttered out.

‘Of course, that asshole would.’ The beta thought. After a few minutes of silence, the omega spoke up again,

“Do you want me to call Kirishima-san?” he asked pulling his cell out of his coat pocket.

“NO” Yokozawa shouted instantly.

The emerald editor cursed and almost dropped his phone in shock.

“Ok, jeez!” Onodera replied backing out of the room

“I’ll see you back at the office, please try to take care of yourself.” He said with a final wave of his hand, and the door clicked shut leaving Yokozawa alone with his thoughts.

Around sunset the beta was finally released from the hospital, much to his relief. He sighed on his way over to his lonesome apartment. It’s not like he could go over to his mate’s house if he wanted to get any sleep…But the thought of seeing the man made him feel calm, and he found himself trudging in the wrong direction from his own place. 

\----

“Mmm…” Kirishima hummed in pleasure as he spilled his release into his mate’s tight entrance. The beta beneath him squirmed and let out a satisfied groan signaling his climax when the alpha’s knot expanded. Yokozawa shakily unhooked his legs from around the alpha’s waist to drop bonelessly at his sides. The two huffed quietly, trying to catch their breath, not wanting to wake the sleeping occupant in the room next door. Kirishima leaned down, his soft light brown hair tickled his lover’s neck as he inhaled deeply near his mark. 

“You’ve started to smell really sweet lately…” the alpha trailed off innocently, Yokozawa froze up beneath him, his body going rigid.

“I like it, I’m thinking another round.” He continued, while nipping at his lover’s ear and giving a gentle thrust. The beta bit back a cry, and turned his head away from Kirishima’s lusty gaze. The alpha continued to grind inside his mate slowly, sending tingling arousal shuddering down his mate’s spine. Kirishima thrusted his hips just a bit harder, his knot further stimulating the trembling body pinned beneath him. 

“Y’know, you’re gaining some weight, maybe you should lay off the beer.” Kirishima playfully teased, pinching at some extra skin bunched around his lover’s waist. His hand was roughly slapped away, and Kirishima looked up in concern when he didn’t hear his mate participate with their usual banter. The beta’s eyes were threatening to spill tears and the alpha felt his heart break, he never cried unless something was seriously wrong.

“Takafumi, was it something I said? I-I was just teasing! You know I’d always love you no matter what you look like.” The alpha hurriedly reassured, trying to comfort his lover. Kirishima only got a sniffle in response, and he decided to resort to a primal way to calm him down. The alpha let out a low, soft growl relaxing the distressed beta beneath him while he stroked his inky black locks soothingly. The beta ceased his trembling and took a shaky deep breath. 

“Y’know, you’ve had this guarded look ever since your heat ended, what are you hiding from me?” the alpha pressed, continuing to run his hands over his lover’s scalp.

“What do you want for dinner tomorrow.” The beta spoke refusing to meet his mate’s prying eyes.

“Don’t change the subject.” Kirishima growled, losing patience. Yokozawa briefly met his eyes for a moment, before flicking away all too quickly.

“We need to get some groceries” the beta insisted, feeling his resolve beginning to crumble.

“Takafumi.” 

Yokozawa felt fresh tears well up and he let out a shaky quiet sob, to which he instantly slapped a hand over his mouth. A few stray droplets ran down his flushed cheeks, and Kirishima lifted a gentle hand to brush them away. The beta sat still for a moment to gather his courage and regulate his breathing.

“Pull out.” Yokozawa whispered, feeling discomfort from his lover’s persistent knot lodged in his entrance.

“And hurt you? No way.” The alpha scoffed in response before rambling on.

“Why can’t you just tell me, don’t you trust me?” 

Yokozawa clenched his eyes shut and grit his teeth, waiting. Kirishima was finally able to slip free and the beta instantly moved to stand up. With a soft grunt of protest, he was jerked back onto the bed, only to stare into his lover’s interrogating gaze silently urging him to submit. The beta glared defiantly in response and shoved the alpha away, standing up making the frame creak beneath them.

“It would be better to show you.” Yokozawa finally said while looking around for a pair of pants to wear as he waltzed into the living room as quietly as possible. Kirishima raised a brow and tapped at his knee impatiently. The beta returned making sure to firmly shut the door behind him and lock it. The alpha sat up pulling on a pair of boxers, and walking over to his lover who handed him a black and white photo. Kirishima’s expression was unreadable until he grinned.

“Are you finally showing me your childhood pictures? That’s not fair, I can’t tell if you look like an old man when you’re the size of a pea.” The alpha joked.

“No. That’s inside my body, and look at the date idiot.” The beta snapped, ‘how dense was this guy?’

“W-wait are you sick?” the alpha asked suddenly concerned seeing that the date was from today.

“No!” Yokozawa hissed, deciding not to give him anymore hints.

“Then wha-“ realization bloomed across Kirishima’s face, that was suddenly covered in a faint blush.

“Oh.” He breathed out unable to form words.

The beta refused to meet his eyes and, studied the floor he shifted from foot to foot on.

“Takafumi look at me.” The alpha demanded stepping forward.

Yokozawa ignored him and squeezed his eyes shut prepared to be rejected, when he suddenly felt all his weight leave him as he was lifted off of the ground. The beta’s eyes snapped open to see the room spinning around him and looked down to see a grin splitting his mate’s face, almost drawing tears. Yokozawa felt all of his breath leave him as a weight lifted off of his shoulders, when he saw his mate’s overjoyed reaction.

“p-put me down!”

“not a chance.” The alpha replied, burying his face in his mate’s lower abdomen.

“I’m starting to feel sick” the beta protested to which the alpha finally complied setting him down to rest on a plush mattress scrambling to straddle him and shower him with affection. The furniture creaked as Yokozawa struggled, and the two fell silent when they heard the door down the hall ease open following creeping footsteps that stopped just outside their door. A soft knock was heard and Yokozawa instantly froze up going pale. 

“Father?”

Kirishima made a gesture of zipping his lips to the beta beneath him, who nodded before he turned his head to respond to his daughter.

“What is it? aren’t you supposed to be asleep young lady?” The alpha scolded, hearing shuffling from the other side of the door before the young girl spoke again.

“I just thought I heard shouting? Is everything ok?” the child asked uncertainly.

“Ah, yes everything is just fine” Kirishima replied, looking back down at his lover who had two hands clasped over his mouth that were refusing to budge, while his face was covered in a bright crimson. The alpha chuckled quietly for a minute before speaking to the 11-year old still outside his door.

“Do you need me to tuck you back in?” He teased in a playful tone while smirking.

His daughter who was undoubtedly blushing stuttered out instantly,

“N-no! Goodnight!” 

“Night!” Kirishima said while trying to pry the hands covering his lovers face away. Yokozawa suddenly lifted his hands and shoved the shocked alpha off of him. 

“I’m going to bed!” the beta hissed in a hushed whisper, while throwing on his sleepshirt that had been carelessly tossed across the room earlier.

“Wha- c’mon you can’t sleep here? I promise I won’t-“ Kirishima whined in protest but a pillow was roughly shoved in his face preventing him from speaking any further.

“Goodnight, Kirishima-san” the beta bit out before he retreated out the doorway to silently make his way back to the guest room.

“So mean!” the alpha pouted when his mate shut the door behind him.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Any form of feedback always brightens my day, I should have the next chapter out very soon I'm just kind of hitting a brick wall right now because i'm really tired lol, see you all soon <3  
> ~peachy


	10. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! just a disclaimer, I honestly have no knowledge of pregnancy whatsoever so google is my only friend here! If you find something is inaccurate just humor me because I'm trying lol. Also I wanted to let you all know that this chapter is a bit longer for a reason, I wanted to give you guys some extra to read in case I can't update soon enough. Unfortunately my chronic pain has flared up causing me extreme exhaustion and worse pain than usual. While I understand that it's simple to get on a laptop and type, my whole entire body is hurting, including my wrists and hands so it takes me a bit longer to type and its very uncomfortable. I will do my best to get the next chapter out within at least a few days, but I just wanted to let you all know in case it doesn't work out that way. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you soon!  
> ~peachy

Hiyo tip-toed out of bed early in the morning hearing hushed whispers floating in through her slightly ajar door from the kitchen. Deciding not to interrupt this time, the 11-year old hovered near the door to peek through the crack.

“I wanna go with you next time.” Her father spoke seriously while crossing his arms. 

“What why?” Her Onii-chan replied flipping around in place, halting in cooking omelets.

“Because this involves me too!” Kirishima growled, her father was kind of scary sometimes.

“But there’s not even anything to see yet! ugh fine, fine.” Yokozawa sighed, massaging his temple. “But how are we supposed to tell-“ the beta stopped himself, glancing over at the cracked door, prompting the alpha’s burning amber eyes to look over as well. Hiyo barely dodged her Onii-chan and father’s eyes by a hair by quickly leaning against the wall while holding her breath-

“we’ll discuss this later, go get ready for work.” The beta demanded, resuming in cooking breakfast.

The youngster let out the breath she’d been holding when she heard her father’s footsteps pad off into his bedroom who grumbled the whole way, he was not a morning person. She suddenly felt indecent for eavesdropping, that was a conversation she wasn’t supposed to hear. The 11-year old rushed into the bathroom to avoid any interaction with either man to wash up. After she had brushed her teeth Hiyo began stalling, not wanting to face her father, she couldn’t keep anything from him! She was in the middle of clipping her toenails when she started at a soft knock on the door.

“Hiyo? Is everything alright in there?” her Onii-chan’s muffled voice questioned on the other side of the door.

Yokozawa had seen her dart in there in a blur of pink pj’s, and unkempt hair about 15 minutes ago and he was starting to get concerned. Kirishima also poked his head out from his bedroom in the middle of buttoning up his shirt.

“ah, yeah just a minute!” The 11-year old shouted, her eyes darting around the bathroom for an excuse. An idea came to mind when her eyes landed on a sparkly hairbrush and small bin of hair clips. 

“I was just trying to do a hairstyle my friend showed me and it’s harder than I thought!”

The beta paused thinking for a moment.

“Do you want me to do your hair then?” he asked, flushing when his mate smirked at him. Yokozawa shooed him away and turned back to the door which suddenly flew open.

“Nope! I’m just going to leave it down today.” The small girl replied, while looking anywhere but those steel grey eyes.

“Ok…well I made omelets if you’re hungry.” Yokozawa said while gesturing at the table. He was taken aback by her strange behavior before he mentally shrugged, must be reaching that age…

“Ah! Ok I’m gonna go get dressed first!” she rushed out and dashed into her bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her.

The beta turned to Kirishima looking for answers to which he only got just a clueless look as he had.

About ten minutes later the youngster emerged dressed for school carrying her small backpack with her and setting it on the couch. Hiyo then walked over to the dining table to join her father and Onii-chan for breakfast. The chair screeched loudly across the floor as she moved it from its place, and proceeded to sit down. Shaky delicate hands picked up her chopsticks to dig in, not once looking up. She had nearly gotten through her omelet before her father’s deep voice broke her from her trance. 

“Hiyo, you haven’t looked at me all morning. What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly.

The 11-year old peeked up to finally meet her father’s curious gaze, catching Yokozawa’s briefly as well. 

“Nothing! I just have a lot on my mind I guess!” the little girl brushed off, before hopping off her chair to throw on her backpack.

“Well Yokozawa’s going to accompany you to school today.” Kirishima said from the table watching his daughter freeze up. 

Hiyo broke out in a cold-sweat before turning around to face the two men still eating their breakfast. 

“Eh? Don’t you have work?” she questioned gaze flicking nervously back and forth between her father and Yokozawa.

“Nope, I have some time I needed to take off” Yokozawa lied, its not like he could tell her the real reason.

Any other day Hiyo would have been absolutely ecstatic to hear that her Onii-chan would be walking her to school, but not today, she would certainly blurt out that she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. She didn’t want him to hate her! Hiyo gulped coming up with another excuse.

“It’s fine! I have Yuki-chan to walk with!”

“Hiyo! You never have a chance to walk with either of us, I thought that you would be excited. What’s with you today?” Kirishima pressed standing up to lean down in front of his daughter. Hiyo gathered the strength in her legs and bolted out the door, haphazardly kicking on her shoes. 

“I’ll see you outside Onii-chan!” she called out before the front door slammed shut

The alpha turned to Yokozawa who had a raised brow.

“Go ahead and make sure she’s alright, I’ll do the dishes. I was going to drive in today anyways.” Kirishima muttered, clearly hurt that his daughter was avoiding him.

The beta nodded and slipped on a pair of Kirishima’s sandals before making his way out the door and down the stairs.

Hiyo fidgeted nervously sitting on the steps outside. And jumped upon hearing Yokozawa jog up behind her.

“Hiyo, is everything alright?” The beta asked while trying to catch his breath.

The small girl wore a bitter expression while nodding stiffly. She stood up and walked on the path to take her to school, signaling for Yokozawa to fall into step at her side. After an uncomfortable silence stretched between the two, Hiyo finally decided to break the ice.

“O-onii-chan…what do you think about people who eavesdrop?” she asked in a trembling voice.

The beta hummed in thought before giving his honest answer.

“I don’t think it’s a very nice thing to do, but I’ve been known to eavesdrop myself from time to time. You can’t help but be curious” he shrugged while looking down at the 11-year old who nodded slightly.

“why?”

The youngster wrung her hands before halting her walking pace and turning to the raven.

“I-I heard you and father talking in the kitchen this morning…I’m so sorry!” she admitted, bowing in apology.

The beta’s breath caught in his throat, recalling his earlier conversation with Kirishima…there wasn’t anything that could have given away his current situation so he kept calm.

“Ah, that’s alright I forgive you, though I’m sure your father wouldn’t be very pleased.” He replied after reflecting on what they had discussed that morning.

“Why weren’t you just honest?” Yokozawa asked while he reached down to pat her head comfortingly, watching the 11-year old bite her lip nervously.

“I thought that you guys would hate me…” she muttered, eyes dropping to the ground.

“Hiyo, you know that your father loves you very much, more than anything in this world, he could never hate you. And there’s nothing you could do that could make me feel that way either.” He reassured, while cupping one of her small shoulders. The youngster finally looked her Onii-chan in the eyes and gave one of her signature Kirishima grins.

“Right!” she responded, back to her old self.  
\----  
Yokozawa looked around his own apartment that was now spotless, clear of any specks of dust or germs. The beta looked over at the clock ticking on the wall to see that only an hour had passed. He groaned exasperated and slumped on the sofa, Kirishima had confiscated his laptop earlier before going to work to prevent him from working when he should be resting. The raven had come back to his own place to look for something to do, only to find that there was nothing do here as well except reread one of his many books littering the shelves…Yokozawa felt his eyes droop, allowing the wave of sleepiness that had creeped up on him to do its job, it’s not like he had anything better to do.  
\----

The beta was startled awake to hear someone entering his apartment. He cautiously sat up and turned his head to see his visitor, only to relax when he recognized them as Kirishima. Yokozawa allowed himself to flop back onto the couch.

“Shouldn’t you be with Hiyo?” he chided while his face sunk into a stiff cushion.

“I had my mother look after her tonight, I have a feeling she doesn’t want to see me.” Kirishima sulked.

“Oh, about that she was just worried because she heard our conversation this morning” The beta replied eyeing the bag in Kirishima’s hands.

“What?? Ugh now I feel like such an idiot.” The alpha groaned while dragging a hand over his face.

“What’s in the bag?” Yokozawa asked pointedly.

“Ah right, I dropped by a new eatery to bring you some food to make sure you were eating properly” Kirishima stated setting the bag down on the coffee table before taking a seat next to his lover. “Oh and I brought your laptop back.” He added last minute, sliding the case across the short table.

“Geez, I’m not a kid.” The beta protested, eyeing his laptop. Though the aroma wafting from the takeout was certainly appetizing… Yokozawa sat up to inspect the contents, rummaging through the bag.

“Heh, yeah that’s what I thought.” The alpha smirked watching his mate lift a box from within the bag to set it down on the low table.

“How was work?” Yokozawa asked while breaking the complementary chopsticks.

“Nothing too exciting except for another author breaking one of their deadlines as per usual.” Kirishima said nonchalantly, but visibly looked worn out.

“Oi, don’t overwork yourself, you’ve got many loyal subordinates that are more than willing to help you out.” The beta said, suddenly concerned for his lover’s health.

“Yeah, yeah” the alpha waved his hand blankly while watching his mate take a bite of a piece of chicken and some vegetables.

Shortly after Yokozawa had finished eating he felt another wave of sleepiness hit him when the food settled in his stomach, and he barely stifled a yawn before standing up to change into his sleep clothes. Kirishima followed close behind him.

“Oi, aren’t you going home?” he asked poking at the alpha’s chest to keep him at a distance.

“Nah, my mother has probably settled down and tucked Hiyo in anyways.” Kirishima stated while checking his watch.

Too tired to put up a fight the beta trudged over to the closet while tugging his T-shirt over his head. Kirishima quietly ducked into the bathroom as Yokozawa crawled into his sheets. The comforting sound of falling water soon lulled him back into a light slumber. 

Yokozawa distantly felt his mate curl up behind him and swing a possessive arm over his stomach about ten minutes later before he finally drifted off into the deep.

\----

The beta’s eyes lazily fluttered open and he slowly sat up on his elbows to check the clock, moonlight spilling in through his window illuminating the room around him. Kirishima’s soft snores filled his ears, and the glowing red numbers showed that it was just past 3 in the morning. He was about to lie back down when his eyes widened. A warm sticky sensation trickled from between his legs and Yokozawa carefully lifted the sheet to see a small pool of deep crimson gathered below his hips. The beta dipped a hand down and brought it back up to his nose sniffing. The unmistakable metallic, foul smell of blood assaulted his nose and he immediately felt his blood run cold. Trembling Yokozawa leaned over to shake his lover awake, only for his snores to grow louder.

“Kirishima-san!” the beta hissed out while shakily pushing at his shoulder persistently.

The beta felt another small warm gush of blood and the beta tensed up.

“Zen! Wake up!” Yokozawa cried out fearfully.

The alpha instantly jolted awake upon hearing his name. 

“What’s wrong?” Kirishima asked groggily, fixing blurry amber eyes onto his trembling lover.

“I-I don’t know…” The beta trailed off staring down at his lower half. 

Kirishima curiously peeked over the sheets bound around his lover’s hips and felt his heart stop at the sight of the fresh liquid crimson. The alpha jumped out of bed, haphazardly throwing a shirt and some pants on before tossing his lover a shirt of his own. Almond eyes frantically searched the dark room for his keys and wallet and he quickly scooped them up while proceeding to help Yokozawa out of bed. The beta felt his legs go numb and his body tensed up, unable to move he sat still shaking in place feeling more of the warm fluid trail slowly down his thighs. Kirishima hissed out a curse and hurriedly hooked his arms underneath the raven to lift him up, tossing a towel into his lap. 

The alpha tapped his foot impatiently against the floor of the elevator, glancing back and forth from his lover, to the numbers counting down that would take them to the garage. His mate looked significantly pale and Kirishima felt nausea twirl in his gut when he reflected on the blood that stained the sheets. The alpha tried to soothe his trembling mate by carding his fingers through his raven locks and tilting his lovers head to rest near his scent gland.

The elevator dinged and the doors wheeled open, prompting the alpha to rush over to his parked car. Kirishima swung open the passenger door, trying to support his heavy mate one handedly against the side of the car before gently placing him on the seat and easing the door shut. The alpha then slid into the driver’s seat, ensuring that they were both buckled before flicking on the ignition with shaky hands. 

The vehicle rolled out of the car-park and Kirishima quickly steered it into the nearest direction of an ER, flooring the gas pedal. Yokozawa watched traffic lights and street lamps light the car momentarily flickering as everything flew past in a blur. The beta turned his glazed eyes over to his mate who was clenching his jaw tight with a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Yokozawa could faintly make out some dried blood trailing on one of his lover’s hands that was clutching at the wheel and looked down to inspect his own. The beta felt himself grow sick at the sight of his right hand covered in the deep scarlet that was starting to brown as it dried on his skin, and fought to swallow the bile rising in his throat.

Yokozawa sat up to push the towel underneath his legs and shakily did his best to wipe off the sticky dried substance from his hands. The car screeched to a stop in the parking lot of his frequented hospital and Yokozawa looked up at the alpha, only to grunt and grope around blindly to push the car door open at his side to lean out and vomit on the asphalt. Kirishima cringed as his mate retched and reached over to rub his back soothingly before leaving the car with a ‘don’t move.’ About 2 minutes later Kirishima came out with a medic at his side who was pushing a wheelchair in a fast pace. 

“I-it’s fine, I can walk.” The beta protested when his mate lifted him out of the car to help him into the chair. 

“Takafumi, I love you, but now is not the time for you to be stubborn” the alpha growled sitting him down and locking the car behind them as the nurse wheeled his mate towards the waiting room. 

The medic pushed the beta’s chair through light double doors with Kirishima hot on her heels. Yokozawa hissed in annoyance under the bright white light and swung an arm up to cover his eyes. The two males were led to an exam room and the nurse immediately rushed to check the beta’s vitals. After she ensured that Yokozawa wasn’t in any critical danger the woman handed each an alcohol wipe to clean their hands which they took gratefully. The sterile smell of alcohol burned the beta’s nose as he tore open the packet and wiped the towel around his hands before tossing it in the nearby trash can. The nurse stood up and wheeled the beta into another room with a very familiar set-up machine. 

“Dr. Kita will be in momentarily to conduct an ultrasound” the nurse explained before clicking the door shut behind her. Yokozawa shifted around uncomfortably on the bed and looked off to the side to see his alpha sitting right next to him. Kirishima had an unreadable expression and he reached up to tightly grip the beta’s hand. The raven jerked slightly and called his mates name softly,

“Zen…“

The alpha dropped his head lower, his almond waves swaying as a single wet droplet landed on the beta’s hand. Yokozawa’s eyes instantly widened in shock at his usually composed mate’s reaction, he could feel the dread and sorrow his mate was currently harboring on his own through their bond-mark and he felt his heart seize. Both males jumped in surprise when they heard a knock rap loudly against the door, announcing the doctor’s entrance. A familiar tall, blonde woman walked in looking slightly disheveled from the night-shift. Kirishima looked away and wiped at his eyes and looked back up to shake the doctor’s hand while stating his name.

“It’s nice to meet you Kirishima-san, I’m Dr. Kita” she introduced herself with a smile under her surgical mask while pulling on some latex gloves. 

“And your relationship with Yokozawa-san is…?” the doctor trailed off looking between the two.

“Mate.” Kirishima filled in quickly.

The doctor and beta seemed to have a silent conversation with each other with their eyes, probably to confirm that Kirishima knew about the pregnancy. After all, nowadays most alphas become hostile towards their mate when they gain knowledge of a possible pregnancy.

“Alright then, Yokozawa-san could you remove your pants please?”

The beta moved his hands down to his waistband to loosen the drawstrings and slide his pants down. Kirishima eyed his every move like a hawk, tensing up when he saw his mate’s blood-encrusted boxers. 

“Ok, I’m gonna take a peek down here real quick to ensure that there’s no injury anywhere” the doctor warned while placing a thin sheet over the beta’s spread legs and over her head. The beta squirmed momentarily when he felt his underwear sliding down his hips and there was a cold sting as the doctor sanitized his lower half with an alcohol wipe to get a clearer vision, before they were sliding back up to comfortably to rest against his pelvis. 

“Alright, no signs of any possible open wound.” the doctor said while she pushed the sheet off of her head and leaned over to flick on the computer. The beta jerked when he felt a gloved hand slathering some cool gel across his lower abdomen, and a plastic wand pressing down harshly.

“Sorry, I have to use more force since you aren’t bloated enough.” The woman’s apology was muffled under her mask as her tired eyes scanned the screen that moved around. Kirishima leaned over to get a better look at the black and white picture moving around that paired with his mate’s thumping pulse. The doctor stopped moving and closely examined some details of the screen before screenshotting it. Yokozawa fidgeted in place waiting for the medic to finish. 

“Ok…I’m not seeing anything wrong currently, which is very good news.” The doctor sighed while she placed the wand back in its spot and switched off the screen. The woman pulled off her gloves and lowered her mask. While she spoke,

“Now, I’m no specialist, but this is very common for people who are in the early stages of pregnancy.”

Kirishima and Yokozawa both lifted a questioning brow, urging the doctor to continue.

“As the embryo develops, sometimes there is extra blood there that is not needed, and the growth of the development will force it out eventually. This happens at least twice a week at most maternity wards in the early hours of the morning, I’ve handled multiple cases myself so you should have nothing to worry about, though the sight of blood can cause quite a scare.” the doctor explained with a soft smile.

“I’m just glad that you guys are so attentive, if this happens again, I want to see you back in here immediately.” she ordered and ushered the two out of the door after Yokozawa had pulled his pants back on.

\---- 

Kirishima sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as the engine sputtered to life while the vehicle idled in the parking lot. 

“That scared the shit out of me” the alpha groaned, shifting the car in reverse and pulling out of its space only to put it in drive and steer them back to Yokozawa’s apartment.

The beta nodded at a loss for words and turned to look out the window quietly.

The two finally got back to the beta’s place at about 4:30 in the morning, and both men found themselves too shaken up to crawl back into bed just yet. Kirishima tossed the soiled, blood-soaked sheets into the washer and tried his best to soak up anymore of the scarlet fluid settling in the mattress with a vinegar-soaked rag before pressing a dry towel down to absorb the remaining wetness.

When the mattress dried thoroughly, the alpha dressed the bed with fresh sheets and urged his mate to join him in the bathroom. Yokozawa complied with his lover’s request, stripping down before stepping into a warm shower. Kirishima joined him shortly after, helping wash his exhausted lover’s hair and lower half before rinsing himself off as well. The alpha then leaned over his mate to turn the tap off and drape a towel over him, wrapping one around his own waist as well.

Yokozawa was handed a soft, clean towel to dry his hair and he lazily did so while Kirishima rummaged around for a change of clothes. The alpha tossed his lover a fresh pair of boxers and some lounge pants which the beta caught weakly. Yokozawa, barely having the strength to pull his legs through his underwear, flopped onto the bed tiredly refusing to put on the pants and crawled under the sheets. Kirishima snuggled up close behind him, holding onto him tightly. 

The two laid there for a while, basking in each other’s comfort until the sun finally began to peek through the curtains. Kirishima had just dozed off about 10 minutes ago and Yokozawa didn’t feel like waking him just yet, since he too was exhausted and the alpha was his main source of heat. Kirishima sighed and buried his nose in his lover’s neck to inhale deeply. The beta shuddered and melted into his mates relaxing embrace deciding to take a short snooze as well, it had been a really rough night.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I did a little scare there! But everything is fine! Thank you for reading and I always appreciate all forms of feedback! <3  
> ~peachy


	11. Uninvited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! sorry I took such a long time to post again, I had the worst week but finally getting the chance to write really made me feel better, I struggled with writing this chapter, because I had 2 different scenarios written for it, but I think I made a compromise and combined them the best I could. Thank you for still reading and I hope to see you all again soon!  
> -Peachy

Almond eyes peeked open in a sunlit room. The alpha instinctively rolled over to pull his lover back into his arms only to be met with an empty bed. Kirishima automatically sat up, padding into the living room in only his boxers to see his mate reading a recent release of Japun while quietly sipping some hot tea. Steel grey locked onto amber and narrowed,

“Put some damn clothes on!” Yokozawa reprimanded while burying his face deeper into the magazine to hide his rising blush.

“C’mon we’ve seen each other with much less on before, there’s no need to blush~” Kirishima teased while winking.

Yokozawa dropped the magazine and choked on his tea momentarily, and turned to glare at the alpha ready to give him a piece of his mind when a phone started buzzing persistently on the coffee table.

“Is that mine or yours?” The alpha questioned curiously.

The beta slid forward to pick up his familiar cell and flicked the screen open, seeing that his caller was Takano.

“Mine. I’ve gotta take this.” The beta stated, standing up off the couch and walking out onto the balcony for some privacy.

Kirishima watched his lover flee outside and shrugged, walking back into the bedroom to make himself decent.

Yokozawa watched the phone vibrate in his hand for a few more seconds before he took a deep breath, pressing on the green call button.

“…”

“Yokozawa? Are you there?”

“…”

“Oi! Yoko-“

The beta cut the line short, staring at his now silenced phone. He wasn’t exactly ready to talk to him about his situation just yet, knowing he wouldn’t be able to keep from spilling…Yokozawa jerked when the phone came buzzing to life once more, but he rejected the call and put his phone on silent, walking back into the living room and tossing it onto the couch.

“That was quick” Kirishima remarked while he sauntered back into the room, watching his mate run a hand over his face.

“Is everything alright?” the alpha asked curiously while buttoning up the cuffs on his wrists.

“Don’t you have to go to work?” Yokozawa asked, completely dodging the question, his eyes trailing over his lover’s hands. 

“I’m not gonna go in until later, I need to go check on Hiyo, make sure she gets to school on time. It also wouldn’t hurt to get a fresh change of clothes.” Kirishima replied watching his mate gathering various things about the apartment.

“What’re you doing?” 

“…” Yokozawa just turned his head away, eyes searching for something-

“Takafumi!”

The beta flinched and looked up at his mate in shock.

“I thought I’d come with you, I should spend some time with Sorata since I’m banned from work for another day...” Yokozawa rambled trying to look anywhere but those intense amber eyes.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” Kirishima asked, folding his arms.

“Come again?” the beta responded, confused. 

“You want to spend the day at my place? Alone?” Kirishima questioned stepping forward to cup his mate’s chin to force him to look at him.

Yokozawa only nodded slightly in response. In all honesty the only reason he wanted to leave his own apartment was because Takano would probably just barge in after work hours, and he couldn’t face him just yet.

“Ok…” the alpha said reluctantly.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay home with you?”

“I’m a grown man, Kirishima-san” The raven reminded his lover.

“I know that. It’s just after last night…” the alpha trailed off with a grimace.

“I’ll be fine.” The beta reassured pushing at Kirishima’s tense back to urge him out the door.

\----

The car ride back to Kirishima’s apartment was peaceful with Yokozawa gazing at the blurred street zooming past his vision until the alpha finally piped up,

“I think you should move in with us.”

The beta whirled around in place to look at his lover incredulously.

“Excuse me?!”

“You heard me.” The alpha replied glancing over at Yokozawa off to the side.

“Oi, keep your eyes on the road! What’s Hiyo gonna think about all this?”

The alpha was finally pulling into the parking garage when he said nonchalantly,

“She already knows.”

“…what?”

“I took the liberty of telling her myself.” The alpha shrugged as he put the car in park and killed the engine.”

“YOU WHAT?”

“Do I have to fucking spell it out for you? Hiyo already knows that you and I are-“

“Stop, stop, stop! I can’t believe you didn’t console me first!” The beta shouted, blushing furiously at the bombshell the alpha just dropped.

“And what was I supposed to do? Wait for you to decide to tell her when I’m an old fart? She’s sharper than you think Takafumi, she was gonna start noticing things eventually.” Kirishima delivered sincerely starting to narrow his eyes.

“Besides, my mother decided it was best that she knew sooner, given that you and I are already bonded, and we’ve got a little one on the way.”

Yokozawa gulped, feeling his heart speed up at the mention of their unborn child.

“I want you to be closer to me in case anything else happens.” The alpha pressed while momentarily flicking his gaze over the beta’s abdomen, trying to get his lover to support his claim.

Yokozawa made a small noise in the back of his throat, his words failing him.

“What was that??” Kirishima snorted, trying to contain his laughter but clearly failing.

“Don’t laugh at me!” the beta sniped, shoving the passenger door open and stepping out only to hear his mate’s amusement grow louder, his shoulders shaking. Yokozawa slammed the door in embarrassment, stalking towards the elevator ahead of his hysterical lover. 

“Oi..heh!..wait up!” The alpha breathlessly called out, unable to stifle his final cry of laughter while wiping a small tear from the corner of his vision.

“Hurry your ass up then.” Yokozawa barked his voice echoing through the garage, watching Kirishima catch up to him. He barely made it through the doors before they began to close. The beta sighed in annoyance but stopped himself when a random hand snapped out, gripping at the heavy metal door.

“Ah! Hold the door…!!” the familiar voice trailed off upon looking up to see the other occupants of the lift. To the persons despair the doors rolled shut behind him when he turned to step off. Kirishima quickly frowned, folding his arms over his chest while stepping in front of his lover to shield him from sight.

“Kirishima-“ The raven was just about to get his reprimand out until he was cut off by a menacing growl that chilled his veins. Yokozawa curiously stood on his tip-toes to get a better view of the other that the alpha expressed such hatred to when he paled. 

Iokawa nervously met Yokozawa’s eyes over Kirishima’s shoulder and the alpha quickly tilted his head to block his lover from the cowering beta’s sight.

“K-Kirishima-san you can relax-“ Iokawa tried, his voice trembling.

The alpha only growled again, not one for words at the moment. The tense atmosphere set heavily in the small space and Yokozawa grew increasingly uncomfortable by each passing second.

It felt like an eternity before the door’s blessedly rolled open, and the beta in front of them rushed off as soon as possible. Yokozawa pushed at Kirishima’s broad back, and the alpha finally moved, freeing him from the tight corner he was backed up into. The raven reluctantly peeked up to see that his lover’s amber eyes resembled that of a cat’s, his pupils were thin slits while his honey iris’s gleamed brightly. Yokozawa gulped deciding not to push him, and soundlessly walked alongside the man until they reached his apartment.

Kirishima took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily to gain his composure before he turned the key in the lock, cautiously swinging the door open. Both men removed their shoes and soft footsteps thumped against the floorboards as Hiyo rushed to greet them. 

“Welcome back father!” the young girl cheered, rushing into his open arms. Yokozawa smiled softly watching the heartfelt moment unfold before him. Hiyo’s brown eyes peeked open to land on her dear onii-chan and she quickly pushed her father to the side who grunted surprisingly at the youngster’s strength.

“Onii-chan!!” 

The beta barely had any time to lift his arms to accept her hug, reaching up to pat her head that rested on his abdomen. 

“Geez, way to show your old man some love…” Kirishima sulked childishly.

“I wasn’t expecting to see onii-chan this early is all!” The 11-year old replied, releasing her crushing grip on the raven to smile at her father. “Ah! Wait don’t you guys have to go to work?” the youngster asked looking over the pair standing in the doorway. Yokozawa shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Hiyo’s innocent look. 

“Well y’see Hiyo, Yokozawa hasn’t been feeling well so he has to stay out of work for one more day” The alpha answered for the raven.

“Really!? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick onii-chan?” the girl pouted with her hands on her hips.

“Sorry, I didn’t really think it was-“

‘Important’ is what he’d intended to say, but caught himself from hurting the 11-year old’s feelings further.

“I-I mean I just really need to catch up on rest is all, it kinda slipped my mind” Yokozawa said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“ok, well take care of yourself onii-chan! Bye!” 

And with that the girl left the apartment to catch up with her friend Yuki-chan.

“Yokozawa.” Kirishima called from deeper within the apartment, snapping the raven from his daze.

“Huh?” He asked stupidly, wondering when he had zoned out long enough for his mate to change his clothes. Kirishima peeked around to look into the entrance way and lifted a suspicious brow when he saw his lover standing in the same place as he’d been when they first entered the apartment.

“You’re obviously not ok, I’m staying home with you for the day.” Kirishima stated as he began to peel off the sports jacket, he’d just put on moments ago.

“You can’t be serious! Your department will be in shambles when you get back. Honestly I’m fine I was just lost in thought.” Yokozawa tried to reason with the alpha, putting up his hands in defense.

“I’m not arguing with you.” Kirishima responded flatly, lacking any of his usual light-heartedness. 

The beta pursed his lips knowing that he couldn’t compete when his lover was in one of his moods.

\----

It was around just after 6 when Yokozawa decided to hop in the shower. Kirishima was still working on a recent manuscript he’d brought home with him the night before, while Hiyo happily dried the clean dishes from their dinner, humming a light tune.

Both Kirishima’s perked up when they heard the chime of the bell at the front door, following an obnoxious, impatient knock. The oldest lifted a brow at his daughter who shrugged, setting another plate onto the stack making a loud clinking noise. The knock came again and Kirishima put a finger to his lips for his daughter to be quiet while he cautiously rose from the couch. Hiyo nodded and silently slipped into her room. The alpha made his way over to the door and pressed the intercom button, shocked to see a familiar editor in chief standing on the other side. No sooner had Kirishima opened the door, was Takano asking him the whereabouts of the alpha’s mate.

“Where the hell is he?” the raven rudely demanded.

“Excuse me?” almond eyes widened a hair, at his visitor’s rude behavior.

“Yokozawa. Where the hell is he.” Takano persisted, now glaring at the taller alpha from his glasses.

“How the fuck did you get my address?” Kirishima grit back, suddenly alarmed.

“One of your underlings told me. Now I’m not gonna ask again. Where is that bastard?” The alpha snapped, becoming impatient.

“And what makes you think that he’s here?” Kirishima stubbornly asked, while crossing his arms against his chest.

“Because he wasn’t in his apartment.” Takano replied smoothly, now out of patience, and proceeded to push past the alpha in front of him while obnoxiously shouting Yokozawa’s name

“HEY!” Kirishima seethed, snapping a hand out to grip harshly onto Takano’s forearm.

The alpha turned around to glare threateningly at the burning amber that was staring him down.

Yokozawa had just thrown on his shirt when he heard ruckus break out from beyond the bathroom, and he quickly yanked the door open to see his best friend waltz in like he owned the place while Kirishima reached out to stop him.

“Masamune…?”

He watched in slow motion as Takano swung at Kirishima, who easily blocked it with his other hand, clenching his fingers around the offending fist tightly. The editor of emerald winced in pain, and turned around to see his friend standing frozen behind him, his eyes widened a moment before he narrowed them to peer at his friend with rage. The alpha thwarted Kirishima’s retaliation and pushed him away to take a few menacing steps towards the beta who felt his heart speed up with fear as his friend gripped tightly at his collar.

“THERE YOU ARE YOU-“

Takano didn’t get any further before he was cut off with a growl that practically shook the ground beneath him. The alpha felt his ears go numb, and he barely had any time to turn around before Kirishima closed in on him, tackling him to the floor. Yokozawa turned his head when he heard the door beside him creak open.

“Father?” A small, trembling voice asked.

Almond eyes glanced up briefly towards his daughter, his pupils were hardly there, almost like when they’d encountered Iokawa. The alpha growled louder when he heard his precious girl calling for him and strengthened his grip on Takano’s shoulders. Yokozawa stepped protectively in front of Hiyo, watching the two wrestle on the floor for a few more seconds before he saw his lover readying another attack. Yokozawa steeled himself and rushed forward to pull the two alphas apart before they got hurt. The beta stood in front of his friend and favored him with a harsh glare.

“We need to talk.” The beta snapped while he disappeared into a room to grab a small piece of paper that he quickly hid in his pocket, before he reappeared and stepped into the genkan to put on some sandals.

“Like hell you are!” Kirishima butt in grasping at his mate’s wrist.

Yokozawa yanked his arm away hissing “let me handle this” and proceeded to push his friend out of the apartment, easing the door shut behind them.

“Where’s your car?” the beta sighed looking at his friend.

“What?” Takano asked dumbfounded.

“I need to talk to you somewhere that’s private, now where is your car?” Yokozawa demanded folding his arms over his chest.

\----

Both ravens sat down, pulling the doors beside them shut. 

“So, do you care to tell me why you’ve been skipping out and collapsing at work? Takano questioned, his brown eyes peeking over his glasses.

Yokozawa took a deep breath, regaining his confidence before wordlessly pulling a glossy photograph from within his sweatpants. 

The editor raised a brow and shot Yokozawa a puzzled look. His friend had an unreadable expression as he blankly stared at him, waiting for him to draw the conclusion. The alpha studied the picture in his hands closely, recognizing this as a photo that pregnant people save from ultrasounds…oh…

Yokozawa fidgeted with his hands in his lap and looked out the window uncomfortably, when he felt his best friend’s eyes settle on him.

“How long?” 

The alphas question cut through the thick, uncomfortable silence like a knife.

The raven glanced over at his friend for a second before he instantly backtracked to gaze out the window.

“About 7 weeks.” The beta sighed.

“And does he know?” Takano asked.

Yokozawa nodded his head, finally turning to face his bewildered friend.

“But you’re a beta?” The editor tried watching his friend shake his head.

“It’s complicated…medical nonsense.” The beta trailed off not really feeling like explaining anymore.

“you’re knocked up…by editor in chief of Japun, Kirishima Zen.” The alpha said mostly to himself, trying to make sense of it.

“Don’t say it like that.” Yokozawa snapped 

“what’re you gonna do though, are you gonna keep it?” Takano asked, watching the beta tense up.

“I…don’t know” He answered, shaking his head from side to side. 

“So that’s why you’ve started to smell so sweet, it’s kind of gross…” his friend teased slightly, trying to initiate their friendly banter.

“Shut up.” Yokozawa bit out shoving the alpha, a pink tinge decorating his features. 

“We talked so go home, and don’t ever pull a stunt like that again.” He sniped, stepping out of the car and slamming the door, not waiting for a response and taking the stairwell back to the Kirishima’s apartment. 

When the beta got back, he found that Kirishima was still in the process of tucking Hiyo in for the night.

“But I want to see onii-chan!” The 11-year old protested stubbornly.

“I know sweetie, but he probably won’t be back for a while, now try to get some sleep” Kirishima sighed in a hushed tone.

Yokozawa peeked into the room and made his way over to sit down on Hiyo’s bed.

“Back already?” Kirishima asked, looking him over. 

Yokozawa nodded stiffly and turned to the young girl who was demanding to see him a moment ago.

“I’m sorry that guy scared you Hiyo, this was all my fault.” Yokozawa apologized bowing to both Kirishima’s.

“It’s ok onii-chan! Besides there’s no need to apologize, we’re a family now! Right father?” The youngster declared grinning brightly.

“Yup.” Kirishima replied shooting his lover a wry smile. 

Yokozawa felt blood rush to his face and he nodded lightly allowing a small smile to grace his features, gently patting the girls head and standing up to head off to bed. The beta reached for the guest room knob when a figure leaned over to whisper into his ear.

“Wrong door. Aren’t the mama and papa supposed to sleep together? Besides we are a family-“

SMACK

\----

The next morning Hiyo watched her father sleepily trudge out of his room scratching his back.

“Eh!? Father why does your face have a red mark??”

Yokozawa smirked from behind his mug of tea smugly. ‘serves him right’  
\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'll do my best to not take a long break again but life is unpredictable lol your feedback never goes unnoticed so feel free to leave a comment or kudos! see you soon  
> -peachy


	12. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back again with another chapter, and I'm very excited to work on the next one because it's gonna be a good one! I feel like I'm dragging this out a bit long so I'm trying to speed it up but lets face it i'm a total snail. Anyways, hope you enjoy and the update will be up soon!  
> -Peachy

It had been a few weeks after Takano’s ‘visit’ and Yokozawa was working quietly at his desk. Under his focused demeanor however, laid an internal spiral of worry. The beta was already beginning to notice that he was putting on some weight when he tried to button his shirt up the other day, which he was growing increasingly sensitive about. Now the beta was forced to wear his lover’s shirts for the time being, which weren’t exactly helping as the size wasn’t much of a difference. Kirishima had pointed it out to him after Hiyo had left for school while they were cleaning up the remnants of their morning meal. The alpha poked him in the stomach and called him porky and Yokozawa dumped a bowl of dishwater on his head. Needless to say, Kirishima was not pleased. 

Back in the present, Yokozawa sat at his desk worrying up a storm and it was starting to show as Henmi finally decided to speak up.

“Yokozawa-san you’re grinding your teeth a lot lately, is something wrong?”

Steel eyes flicked over to stare at the salesman for a moment before he turned back to his computer. 

“Just worried about these sales on a recent release is all.” Yokozawa lied perfectly, he seemed to get better at that lately.

“Now stop hovering over me and get your work done-” 

The wild bear stopped mid-sentence and sat up abruptly, feeling bile rise in his throat. He slapped a hand over his mouth and made a break for the nearest bathroom.

\----

Kirishima was on his way down to the sales floor to tease his lover in front of the staff as revenge for dousing his head in dishwater when he felt a force vault into him at full speed. The person stumbled a moment and looked up to glare at the figure he had run into, his face looking green. Kirishima blinked in surprise, standing in front of the bathroom’s doorway with his hands resting casually in his pockets.

“Yokozawa…?”

The raven was about to snap at him to watch where he was going when he bit his tongue, feeling another wave of nausea wash over him. Yokozawa pushed the alpha aside roughly, yanking open the door and rushing into one of the stalls.

Amber eyes blinked several times in surprise before the alpha regained his composure and he cautiously eased the door open. Vile sounds of retching bounced off the walls as the beta clung to the toilet bowl and Kirishima cringed. He followed the horrid sounds and smell and slowly pushed open the last stall door to reveal his mate crouched on the floor, panting and shuddering violently. The alpha kneeled down to rub Yokozawa’s back soothingly as he leaned back into the bowl to vomit anew. Luckily nobody but them occupied the bathroom at this time leaving the alpha alone to try and comfort his mate as best he could. The beta finally sat back up reluctantly while groaning, feeling his head swim. Kirishima was quick to offer him a damp towelette to wipe his mouth which he took gratefully. 

“Thanks.” The raven finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

The alpha nodded, wearing a grimace. Yokozawa heaved himself upright to rinse his mouth out as best he could in the sink. 

“Were you feeling sick this morning? I know morning sickness is pretty common once you hit about 10 weeks.” Kirishima said, recalling when Hiyo’s mother had been pregnant. 

Yokozawa shook his head in response, he felt fine even after he had eaten breakfast. The alpha’s brows knit in confusion,

“Then did you eat anything else when you got here?”

The beta hummed in thought for a moment when he suddenly recalled having a snack earlier to sate his restless stomach during break.

“Ah, I had a granola bar…” Yokozawa said trailing off.

“Ok well no more of those.” Kirishima ordered, patting his shoulder gently. Yokozawa nodded in agreement and turned to leave and return to his desk.

“You gonna be ok?” The editor asked, suspiciously eyeing his tense lover.

“M’fine.” The beta brushed him off.

“You should get back to work, and stop hanging around the sales floor.” He scolded last minute.

“Pfft, a classic ‘wild bear’ response. Hey make sure you come home after work, it’s the weekend tomorrow so you should have no problem spending the night again.” The alpha teased whispering the last part, watching his mate blush and slam the door as he left him alone in the bathroom.

\----

The next morning Yokozawa had just thrown on one of Kirishima’s black long sleeves when the alpha fed him an idea.

“We should probably go shopping for new clothes since mine aren’t really covering that much up.”

The beta felt his brow twitch in annoyance, but sighed knowing his mate was right. After all today was the perfect day to get it done since Hiyo was with one of her friends working on a project until later tonight.

“Why ‘we’? I can go by myself.” The raven snapped, watching his lover cast about the room for his watch.

“Well because I know what to look for of course.” The alpha stated matter of factly, impressing his superior knowledge as always.

“Ok fine, but if you try anything funny, I’m not coming over here for a week.” The beta threatened.

Kirishima deflated momentarily but happily complied too quickly for Yokozawa’s liking.

\----

It was late in the afternoon when the pair finally dragged themselves back to Kirishima’s apartment absolutely exhausted. The alpha had tugged his mate along to 5 different department stores that sold maternity clothes which Yokozawa was mortified stepping into, let alone trying them on. Not only did he get weird looks being a guy, but he also felt prickling jealousy rise when omega’s fawned over his handsome lover from afar. One was even brave enough to approach him, but Yokozawa called him over to ‘help’ in a fit of irritation. Seriously, did these women have no shame? Kirishima was obviously getting equally annoyed when the third one, a man this time, approached him within the same hour, and he rudely ignored him proceeding to carry out with his conversation with his adorable bear.

Yokozawa only got 6 articles of clothing, deciding that the only time he needed to hide his expanding waist was at work. After all, his (Kirishima’s) pajamas were baggy enough for Hiyo to not notice anything out of the ordinary. So, he got some larger sized, stretchy slacks, a new pack of boxers and dress shirts that wouldn’t be too obviously baggy, but the shirts would only work for a short period of time. The beta decided he would take a leave of absence when he started really showing to avoid conflict with the whole company, although explaining his reasons to Isaka-san won’t be easy. 

Speaking of perverts, Yokozawa recalled when Kirishima had suggested in the intimate’s section that he wear a black, silky night gown for ‘comfort purposes’ while he waved it in the ravens face earlier that day. Yokozawa turned on his heel and stomped out of the store empty-handed telling him to ‘go die’. Kirishima bought it anyways without Yokozawa’s knowledge. They also stopped at a convenience store on the way back to get a travel tooth brush and small tube of toothpaste that Yokozawa could keep in his brief case.

Yokozawa started to peel off his casual clothes and hop in the shower when Kirishima said,

“What are you doing, we still have to go to dinner.”

Yokozawa whipped around to look at him bewildered. 

“And I agreed to these plans when?”

“I was trying to surprise you!” The alpha pouted in response.

“What’s the occasion?” The beta asked, raising a brow.

“Well that would ruin the element of surprise.” Kirishima replied smugly.

“Besides, now you’ll have the chance to try those new clothes out.” He added pointing at the bag resting at his lover’s feet. From context clues that he had to dress in business attire, meant they were going somewhere above the average restaurant. Yokozawa really didn’t like where this was going…

“and is this just us?” Yokozawa asked suspiciously, but felt his tension release when Kirishima blinked and replied with,

“Nope, Hiyo’s coming too.”

Now here they were getting ready together in the bathroom and Yokozawa was finishing up with his hair when she stepped through the door, announcing her return cheerfully. Kirishima was still trying to tame his own locks for once so Yokozawa was the only one to step out and greet her in the entryway while she took off her shoes, well with the exception of Sorata who meowed obnoxiously while winding himself between her legs. Hiyo giggled and picked up the black and white fluff ball to nuzzle his tiny wet nose.

“Did you miss me Sora-chan?” she asked and the cat mewled in response. The 11-year old set her beloved feline back onto his feet and watched him scamper off to bother Yokozawa for dinner. The beta shooed him away claiming that he had already fed him…but not before he gave him a tiny fish flavored biscuit. Hiyo was rummaging about her room, putting her stuff away when she made a fuss upon Kirishima entering her room.

“Eh!? Father Why are you all dressed up? She asked clearly shocked to see her father’s hair combed out of his eyes for once. 

“We’re going to dinner with Yokozawa, you can finally wear that new dress I got you when we went to the park that day.” Kirishima responded, grinning brightly.

Hiyo’s eyes lit up, excited to wear the new garment and pulled out a sequined blue dress, shooing her father out of her room. ‘so she didn’t know either…’ Yokozawa thought, wondering what the alpha had up his sleeve. 

\----

The finely dressed trio stepped out of the car Kirishima had just parked and walked to the entrance of a restaurant that already had a bright sign lit up when it was just before sunset. Kirishima handled getting their table with a charming smile, reminding that he had reservations under ‘Kirishima’ and the beta felt his cheeks heat up slightly. They were led to a 4-seater table with a nice window view of the city, and Hiyo was awed by the fancy light fixtures that dangled above them as she took in her surroundings. The menu consisted of pretty much anything leaving the beta impressed as everyone placed their orders.

They all went about their meal, making light conversation about work, school, dinner plans, new recipes, and of course Sorata. Yokozawa was so caught up in the familiar atmosphere that he completely forgot about the surprise Kirishima had mentioned earlier until he dropped the ball.

“So…there is something I wanted to discuss with you two, and It’s pretty much the reason I brought you here.” The alpha said, eyes landing on his daughter while she sipped her milkshake. Hiyo raised a brow that resembled her father’s a little too closely in confusion. 

“I wanted to tell you, Hiyo, that Yokozawa is moving in with us.”

“Eh?”

“Wait what?!”

Kirishima smirked at his lover’s shocked expression, counting in his head towards his daughter’s delayed reaction.

3

“Oi! I never”

2…

“agreed to”

1.

“this-“

“Really!” the youngster asked, a brilliant grin splitting her face, elated by the news.

“Yup!”

“Kirishima-san!” the beta hissed.

“Hm?”

Both Kirishima’s turned to look at him, and Hiyo’s big brown eyes in the mix sealed Yokozawa’s fate. Kirishima knew he had won.

“Ah...nothing.” Yokozawa muttered, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Just when the raven had stopped himself, dessert was served before them in the form of strawberry cake, Hiyo’s favorite. Yokozawa felt queasy at the sight of so much sugar, but forced the feeling deep down not wanting to ruin dinner. However, Kirishima already saw through his lover’s façade and quickly requested that they have it boxed up for takeout as he took care of the check. Relief washed over the beta’s features as they brought the cake back in a container for them to indulge in later. 

\----

Later that evening after Hiyo packed up an overnight bag and ran out the door announcing that she’d be spending the night with Yuki-chan, both men busied themselves and stripped down for the night to dress themselves in something more comfortable. Kirishima casually came up behind his lover with a small bag in his hands. 

“The hell is that?” Yokozawa demanded, eyeing the bag skeptically. 

Kirishima hummed and slid a hand over the beta’s eyes while he one-handedly pulled the item from the bag. Yokozawa could hear cloth rustling as he struggled to pry away the hand that obscured his vision. Dim light flooded the beta’s eyes as he readjusted to his surroundings when Kirishima finally pulled away. Yokozawa felt all of his breath leave him in an instant as he looked at what the alpha held up decoratively against his body. 

“What the fuck!?” Yokozawa shouted, feeling blood rush to his face as began to blush profusely.

In front of him Kirishima proudly held up the same silky night gown he suggested they buy earlier that day while he smirked lewdly. 

“Won’t you try it on for me?” He whispered in his lover’s ear in a sultry tone.

“AS IF.” The beta snapped, tired of this guy’s lewd antics. 

“Please? Hiyo’s not here so what does it hurt…” Kirishima pleaded, knowing that it would make his lover weak.

Yokozawa felt a pang of guilt well up as the alpha finally sighed and dropped one strap of the garment, folding it up to put it back in the bag. Yokozawa gathered his courage and shut his eyes tight. Kirishima halted in putting away the gown and felt his lips twitch when he heard his lover’s reluctant voice.

“…Promise you won’t take any pictures?” the beta asked, barely above a whisper. Kirishima felt his heart swell and he leaned back up to peck his lover’s burning cheek.

“Promise.”

An agonizing 10 minutes later Yokozawa finally emerged from the bathroom, flicking the light off behind him. In the dim light of the bedroom, the alpha hungrily took in the sight of his lover. The beta tugged at the hem of the gown that rested at mid-thigh in a fit of embarrassment. Kirishima’s eyes traveled up slowly, stopping at the way the silk suggestively accentuated his hips, before moving further up to see his lean muscled chest outlined by the black fabric. Burning amber finally rested on the raven’s collar bone, watching his lover gulp. His chest was decorated with a thin strip of lace running horizontally across the skin just above his pectorals, and the thin black straps hanging on his shoulders practically screamed for the aroused alpha to push them off. 

Kirishima snapped out of his trance, cleared his throat and beckoned him over to join him in bed by patting the empty space beside him. Yokozawa avert his gaze, willing strength back into his legs as he walked over to crawl in beside his mate. Kirishima watched his lover move across the room as the silk flowed elegantly, while it also curved about his lover’s body tantalizingly. With his back turned to his partner’s lusty gaze, Yokozawa lifted the sheets and slid in to lay sideways while flicking off the bedside lamp. 

In the dark the beta heard his mate rustling around beside him, and he felt annoyance rise when the movement persisted.

“Would you cut it- WAH“

Yokozawa was cut off, and let out a loud yelp when, without warning, strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him towards the heat resting behind him to snugly rest against the alpha’s muscled chest. Kirishima snuggled in as close as possible and hooked a leg over his thigh as one hand trailed down to rub at his abdomen suggestively. The beta snapped his hands down to tightly grip at his lover’s wandering hands, attempting to peel them away.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to touch me.” Yokozawa growled through clenched teeth. Kirishima brushed him off with a low chuckle, moving his hands to explore further.

It seemed Kirishima wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands to himself that night.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Thank you so much for reading and I always read any feedback, it always warms my heart! see you soon  
> -peachy


	13. News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness I'm so sorry I left you all hanging for so long!! To make up for it I made it extra long almost 5000 words. I appreciate all of my readers who take their time to read my story so thank you all of you.  
> -Peachy

Yokozawa examined himself in the mirror about a month later, after his check up with the specialist which went very well, he’d done a good job keeping himself healthy. Kirishima insisted he go with him to every appointment now. The beta slowly smoothed a hand over the now noticeable, but small bump. He didn’t sense his lover come up behind him until he felt hands flutter against his sides and a soft kiss pressing on his nape. Yokozawa suppressed a shiver as the alpha’s hands slid around to cover his own resting on his belly. The raven glanced away from his reflection uncomfortably, his eyes landing on a few small boxes piled up by the closet. 

He had just settled in a few weeks ago, a little after Kirishima broke the news to Hiyo that he’d be moving in with them, much to Yokozawa’s protest. Trying to keep some distance from the alpha and not wanting to make the youngster uncomfortable by moving into his room, he attempted to move into the guest room-even though she already knew the nature of their relationship. The girl surprised the both of them, insisting that they leave the guest room open for ‘just in case’. Yokozawa had shuddered at her too on the nose but innocent comment, thinking about how that room would likely be dedicated to the new addition to their bear count. She had obviously meant in case anyone were to stay over in the future, but Kirishima and Yokozawa both thought of a different purpose. 

The raven shook himself from his thoughts and brushed the alpha off of him.

“cut that out.” He muttered while tugging his shirt back down.

But Kirishima quickly draped himself over him again, sliding his hand back up his shirt to massage his stomach. Both men flinched in surprise when they felt a sudden punching movement.

“Wow…” Kirishima said, applying more pressure with his hand back onto the beta’s stomach to attempt to feel another kick.

Yokozawa jolted when he felt another light push on his abdomen from within. That was going to take some getting used to…

Both men heard the front door swing open and the sound of flip-flops rapidly flapping against the tiles.

“Father! Onii-chan!” a young voice called expectantly from the entryway.

Yokozawa hurriedly shoved his mate away and yanked his shirt back down to escape his lover and greet the adorable girl. Hiyo had left about a week ago to spend some time with her grandparents in the country-side and had returned just this afternoon during the weekend. The beta stepped in the entryway to see Hiyo setting down her bags at her sides to crouch and pet the cat that jumped into her arms. 

“Welcome back.”

Yokozawa smiled warmly as he watched the exchange between the precious girl and his beloved feline as Kirishima walked up beside him. Hiyo looked up, her sparkly brown eyes lighting up at the sight of the pair in front of her. The 11-year old was tanned from head to toe, and she still wore a small straw hat atop her head to go with a pair of denim shorts and a white tank top with her favorite pink, polka-dot sandals. 

Yokozawa had barely any time to react to the young girl vaulting towards him at full speed while the black cat hopped out of her lap. The beta stumbled back in surprise as Hiyo clung to him tightly and buried her face into his abdomen. 

“What? No greeting for your papa?” Kirishima whined, feeling jealous of his lover.

Yokozawa smirked, but his expression quickly morphed into one of horror when he felt another kick from his stomach.

“Eh? Onii-chan was that your stomach growling?” Hiyo asked curiously, lifting her head to gaze up at him. Kirishima’s eyes widened a hair for a moment before he composed himself, waiting for his lover to fill in the youngster’s conclusion.

“Ah-uh y-yes, I guess I’m just hungry. I made your favorite pudding.” Yokozawa answered coughing uncomfortably and prying the youngster off of him to flee into the kitchen. The beta heard Kirishima and Hiyo exchange greetings and affection from the kitchen as he stuck his head in the fridge to pull out an apple flavored pudding, decorated with brown sugar and apple slices. 

“Wow! It’s so pretty onii-chan!” the youngster praised while she marveled at his work.

“You really made this just for me?” She asked peering up at the raven.

Yokozawa only nodded in response, blushing slightly.

“Great now we can all eat it together!” Hiyo cheered busying herself with gathering dishes to serve everyone.

Yokozawa took a seat at the table and was quick to wolf down his portion. Sure, he did want to make Hiyo’s favorite for when she came back, but truthfully, he’d noticed a sweet tooth lately and had to stop himself multiple times in one hour from sneaking a spoonful before her arrival. 

“Wow onii-chan! You ate faster than papa!” Hiyo expressed in amazement at his empty bowl, forgetting about her slip of the tongue.

“Hey! What’re you trying to say?” Kirishima asked becoming sensitive.

His daughter only giggled and rose from her seat to clean everyone’s dishes.

“I guess it’s just because everything onii-chan makes is so good!” Hiyo said, while grabbing a sponge to clean the remnants of pudding.

“I agree.” The alpha replied, smiling slyly at his lover from the other end of the table.

Yokozawa frowned and distracted himself with teasing Sorata who sat at his feet, begging for a treat.

“Let’s watch a movie, and make it an early night.” Kirishima suggested while he surfed through the channels. Hiyo and Yokozawa complied taking a seat alongside the lazy editor who lounged his long legs on the coffee table without a care.

The night dragged on and the smell of stale popcorn filled the room around them as the sky darkened while Hiyo dozed off. Kirishima made sure to tuck the youngster in before he sleepily pushed his grouchy bear to join him in their own room.

\----

Kirishima was in a deep slumber when he distantly felt a hand shaking him awake. The alpha was just about to drift off again when he heard a hissed whisper calling his name.

“Kirishima-san!”

Recognizing this as Yokozawa’s voice, he cracked his eyes open to see his lover’s steel grey eyes staring down at him as he leaned over to peer into his face. The beta moved away just in time for Kirishima to automatically sit up in a rush, avoiding a painful head-butt.

“Yokozawa? What’s wrong?” the alpha asked, his eyes darting around the room.

The raven blushed in the moon-lit room and rubbed at his neck sheepishly. Kirishima raised a brow at this and folded his arms.

“Out with it.” he demanded, eyes roaming over his shy lover’s lower half worriedly…It couldn’t be…

“…ce..eam..” The beta whispered, barely audible.

“Huh?”

Kirishima only caught the ends of his words and became annoyed that he was woken up at…1 am...he read on the bedside clock.

“What is it?” He tried again, hissing the last part.

Yokozawa squeezed his eyes shut and fisted his hands in his lap.

“I really want ice cream!” He quietly shouted not wanting to wake Hiyo next door, and afraid to look at his lover he kept his lids tightly sealed. Kirishima blinked several times, his tired brain trying to comprehend what he had just said, wondering if he had heard his lover right.

“Come again?” The alpha pressed.

“I’ve been awake for the past hour with the strong urge to eat ice cream nagging me.” Yokozawa mumbled, blushing up to his ears. 

“Do we-“

“I already checked the freezer while you were asleep and we don’t have any.” The beta interrupted his mate.

“Huh…” Kirishima muttered, dumbfounded. “Well what do you want me to do about it?” He asked his fidgeting lover.

“well…” Yokozawa trailed off, hoping he would get the hint. Kirishima waited for him to continue until it dawned on him.

“No…”

The beta looked at him with pleading eyes, he couldn’t last another second if he didn’t sate his craving!

“Takafumi I’m not-“

“Kirishima-san…” His now docile bear begged. Kirishima sighed, knowing that he didn’t really have a choice when he pleaded with him this way, then he realized that this was the perfect opportunity. He stifled a smirk and looked up at his lover.

“Fine, but on one condition.” The alpha said holding up his finger, looking serious. Yokozawa narrowed his eyes at his childish mate and impatiently waited to hear him out.

“You have to say my name while you ask nicely.” He stated, grinning playfully. Yokozawa lowered his head a moment and Kirishima wondered if he pushed him too hard when he heard a quiet mumble.

“Please Zen…”

Kirishima’s heart sped up and he felt heat rising to his face. The alpha regained his composure and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lover’s burning cheek.

“See? That wasn’t so hard.” He whispered with a leer, while the beta quaked in place with fury.

\----

The pair returned to the dark apartment 10 minutes later, shuffling around the entryway while trying to make as little noise as possible. The plastic bag holding a single pint of ice cream rustled as the two made their way back into their shared bedroom. Yokozawa sat down on his side of the bed, snapping the complementary plastic spoon off of the lid to dig in, while Kirishima flicked on the lamp. The alpha sat beside the beta, amusedly watching him practically inhale the vanilla flavored, frozen dessert. 

The raven couldn’t help a satisfied groan as he shoveled another spoonful into his mouth, entertaining Kirishima to no end as he settled his jaw on his palm.

“Hey now where are your manners?” The alpha scolded.

Yokozawa halted sliding the spoon out of his mouth, resting it between his lips while he raised a brow.

‘god he’s so cute’ Kirishima thought.

“Aren’t you gonna share?” He asked, wearing a shit-eating grin. 

Yokozawa rolled his eyes and scooped some of the ice out of the container and brought it back up to his mouth-

“!!!”

Kirishima lunged forward and stole his bite of ice cream, seductively licking at the spoon as he pulled away pecking the raven on his forehead. Yokozawa flushed furiously and scowled while he gulped down the last of the frozen treat. The alpha chuckled and threw away the carton as his lover crawled back into the sheets to finally get some sleep. 

\----

The next morning Yokozawa nearly went into cardiac arrest when the ever sharp and brilliant Hiyo made an observation while he sipped on a mug of hot tea.

“Onii-chan, why did you stop drinking coffee?”

The beta froze up and wracked his brain for an excuse, glancing over at Kirishima for help. The alpha seemed to have mercy for once and smoothly covered it up with,

“He lost a bet.”

Granted, there never was a bet, but they couldn’t exactly blurt out the real reason so casually. Yokozawa had to give up caffeine once he found out he was pregnant, for the health of him and the baby. So, he decided to opt for decaf tea in the mornings to somewhat wake him up, but the 11-year old didn’t know this and sprung the question.

“Really? What kind of bet?” she pried innocently.

“It’s a secret.” Kirishima lied calmly while he sipped on his steaming coffee, feeling Yokozawa’s envious eyes on him.

“Aww.” The girl pouted, but was quick to drop it, seeing that it was time for her to head to school.

“Ah! I’ve gotta go, see you later father, onii-chan!” she hollered as she threw on her backpack and slipped on her shoes.

Another time the youngster demonstrated her sharpness was one night about a week later when she accidentally walked in on her onii-chan getting dressed. Yokozawa luckily had lounge pants on but he was still wrestling himself into his shirt when the door creaked open and he heard a squeak of embarrassment before it was slammed shut. Hiyo was mortified, and refused to look at the raven for the rest of the night. Not only did she see something she wasn’t supposed to, but she noticed a detail about his figure that bothered her. His stomach seemed to be…rounder than when he looked on her field day as he’d been dressed in a form-fitting shirt. 

Now she wasn’t judging him per-se she was just curious in his sudden change, and caught herself mulling over it multiple times. Kirishima noticed his daughter’s odd behavior and asked her about it when they sat at the table for breakfast the next day, and was surprised when she rose from her seat to lean into his ear and whisper,

“Papa, why does Onii-chan look fatter?” 

The alpha’s eyes went wide and he spat the orange juice he’d been drinking all over the table. His hacking coughs from the burn of citrus melded into howling laughter in an instant, and Yokozawa noticed the ruckus from the kitchen where he was cooking French toast. The raven turned around to see Hiyo blushing from head to toe as her father continued to laugh hysterically while she shouted ‘papa!’ fuming.

\----

“I think we should tell Hiyo” Kirishima voiced one night while he laid in bed next to his lover while poking at his small, soft baby-bump. Hiyo was with her grandparents for the night, learning how to cook something for her class for the next day-leaving the two alone to lounge about lazily in the evening.

Yokozawa sputtered a moment, at a loss for words and looked over at his mate who was dead serious.

“Why?” he demanded, furrowing his brow.

“She’s starting to notice, Takafumi.” The alpha answered with a slight frown of his own.

“Don’t call me that. And this is the first time I’m hearing this; did she say something to you?” Yokozawa asked averting his gaze to look at the book that was resting face down on his lover’s lap.

Kirishima adjusted his glasses that were resting uncomfortably on the bridge of his slender nose and snorted inelegantly.

“You could say that.” He replied, almond eyes dancing with amusement as he reflected on the memory.

“Spit it out.” Yokozawa snapped, becoming impatient his tone laced with underlying concern.

Kirishima told him what Hiyo said that one morning when he coughed up his orange juice and the beta eyed him skeptically.

“You expect me to believe that she called me fat?” the raven voiced in disbelief.

“Fine then, don’t have any faith in me.” The alpha retorted and picked up his book to skim his eyes over where he left off.

“You can’t be serious…” Yokozawa trailed off, his brow twitching when his lover ignored him. Feeling self-conscious Yokozawa lifted up his shirt to inspect his rounding belly. Kirishima peeked over at his lover who looked like he was about to cry from his peripheral. The alpha sighed and set the book on the night stand and reached a hand over to cup the beta’s cheek.

“Yokozawa, you’ll always be her cool onii-chan no matter what you look like.” The alpha reassured his sensitive mate. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” The provoked bear growled, though being called fat behind his back did kind of bruise his pride…

“Then what is it?” Kirishima urged, turning over to rest flat on his stomach between his lover’s legs while his hands settled comfortably at his exposed sides. The alpha rested his chin on the beta’s abdomen while he looked up at him patiently.

“it’s just…I feel so…” Yokozawa tried over and over and found himself stuck. Just what?

The beta finally shook his head, he didn’t know how to feel, he was afraid of how she would see him afterwards. 

‘would she think I’m disgusting and never want to see me again?’ 

While he second guessed himself, a bony finger pressed on the crease in his forehead and dug into his skull.

“Owowow-“

“You have to stop shouldering all of that self-doubt Takafumi, it’s unhealthy and a waste of time. Hiyo and I both consider you a part of our family whether you like it or not.” Kirishima lectured, grinning when his lover’s palm seized his wrist.

“Alright, alright! Just stop poking me!” Yokozawa snapped pushing the offending hand away.

Kirishima was hit with a stroke of genius and grinned mischievously. The alpha slowly slid down to the end of the bed where his lover’s feet rest, and reached down to yank a leg up. Yokozawa jerked in protest and scowled.

“Kirishima. No.” The beta warned.

Amber eyes shined with amusement and ignored the raven’s threat, fingers feathering teasingly against the sole of his foot. Yokozawa made a face of discomfort, trying to hold back a snort but soon failed when his lover’s movements persisted.

“K-Kiri..heh!..Ki-!!!” 

The alpha mercilessly tickled the raven’s feet, alternating between the two as the body beneath him kicked and squirmed violently. Yokozawa let out a loud snort amongst his soft, rescinding laughter that he couldn’t tamp down.

“Sto-haha! Kirishima…san! Cut it-“ The beta panted for breath and his chest hitched when his mate leaned up further to tease at his ribs. Yokozawa let out a loud shriek when he felt dull nails dancing across his sensitive skin, and instantly regret not wearing his shirt to bed.

“Stop! Stop! HA..!!” 

Kirishima finally relented when he saw tears of laughter peeking at the corners of his steel grey eyes, satisfied with his work. Yokozawa’s labored breathing eventually calmed down, along with the adorable pink hue that tinged his cheeks. The alpha flopped back down onto the beta’s lap and pressed a soft kiss to his tummy. 

“Now that you’ve relaxed…Hiyo’s birthday is coming up so I feel like that will be the perfect time to break the news.” Kirishima’s claim was muffled through the skin of his lover’s soft stomach but Yokozawa could hear it nevertheless. The beta hummed in thought, the recent flood of endorphins from his lover’s attack cleared his mind and allowed him to try and see from Kirishima’s perspective. He did have a point, Hiyo wasn’t stupid and she deserved to know.

“Ok.” Yokozawa sighed, knowing he was right as always, it was his daughter after all.

The alpha perked up, not expecting the raven to comply so quickly. 

“My, my is the feared, wild-bear of Marukawa becoming docile-or should I say mama-bear?” Kirishima leered.

“In your dreams.” The beta retorted flicking the table lamp off and crawling under the duvet.

\----

Slightly tanned thumbs rubbed across a glossy black & white photo. It was from his most recent checkup, and their tiny olive had finally grown to be the size of an apple. Today was Hiyo’s birthday and Yokozawa was buzzing with nerves. He had promised Kirishima that they would tell her about his pregnancy on the important date, that was for once dreaded and equally anticipated by the raven. The photo he inspected was a form of proof for the youngster in case she expressed any disbelief, not that she would. Yokozawa jumped in surprise when he heard the front door practically fling open. 

“Dad, Onii-chan I’m back!” Hiyo’s adorable voice rang out. Her birthday this year landed on a weekend, so, the trio would have the whole day to spend with each other. So, the girl had a sleepover at her best friend Yuki-chans house prior to the celebratory day.

“Welcome back!” Two adult voices called in unison as Hiyo parade herself about the house in the new dress her friend got her from the mall.

“Wow Hiyo, that’s a very lovely dress” Kirishima commented, almost blinded by the flashes of color that spun around as she twirled happily.

“You think so? It was a gift from Yuki-chan!” She remarked merrily with a charming smile that competed with her father’s.

Yokozawa pocketed the photo in a flash to rest safely tucked in his jeans until the right moment presented itself, and sequenced how the day would go one more time in his head…

The trio spent the day in the park with a lovely picnic, where Kirishima got chased down a hill by a bee when he spilled some watermelon on his pants; while his daughter and lover mercilessly teased him. They also made a trip to a museum Hiyo had been wanting to visit that had a new art exhibit which the youngster marveled at for a good hour. The small family of bears finally got back to their shared apartment to enjoy dinner and cake that they got takeout from her favorite restaurant around sunset.

Hiyo took a moment looking between her father and onii-chan before she blew out the 12 flickering candles while squeezing her eyes shut. Kirishima asked what she had wished for and she replied with ‘that they could be together forever’ without batting a lash. Yokozawa was of course touched and couldn’t help the flutter in his heart. Their evening together finally ended in Hiyo opening her much-anticipated gifts. Kirishima had spoiled her as always with a variety of outfits, and accessories along with a pair of adorable shoes, while Yokozawa got her some of her favorite confectionaries, a recipe book, and a cute, decorative cat pillow (that Kirishima picked out). Her gift from her grandparents, who sadly couldn’t be there, consisted of similar things-beauty products and cat themed pj’s that her grandmother made for her and card tucked away with a moderate amount of cash.

“Thank you so much! This has been the best birthday ever!” Hiyo cheered happily as she flung herself at the two sitting before her on the couch.

“Happy birthday my sweet girl.” Kirishima told his daughter while kissing her cheek affectionately.

“Papa!” The girl chided, stomping her foot while furiously rubbing her hand at her burning cheek.

“Happy birthday Hiyo.” Yokozawa said, a soft smile gracing his lips.

“Ah but Yokozawa and I have one more gift.” The alpha reminded, glancing over at his lover who broke out into a cold-sweat. The beta had been distracted all day with the festivities he indulged in alongside the Kirishima’s.

“Eh? Really where?” The now 12-year old asked, glancing about the living room.

“Right in front of you.” Kirishima played, enjoying his daughter’s evident confusion. 

“Onii-chan? But he already lives with us.” Hiyo remarked, a slight frown gracing her features.

“He does.” The editor nodded in agreement. “However, you Hiyori, are gonna be a sister.”

The young girl’s face scrunched up in thought for a moment until her sharp mind that reflected her fathers, connected the dots.

“Onii-chan?” Hiyo asked turning to her beloved best-friend for confirmation.

“Y-yes.” Yokozawa replied, fidgeting with his hands in his lap, trying but failing to meet her curious brown eyes. Silence stretched over the room and the beta squeezed his eyes shut, prepared to be pelted with hatred-

“M-Me?? A sister?” A small voice questioned in disbelief while the owner pointed to herself.

“Yup.” The alpha smirked, at his flustered daughter.

“Yay!! Just like Yuki-chan!” The girl cheered hopping up and down happily. It seemed that her closest friend Yuki was also expecting a younger sibling of her own, which had made Hiyo incredibly jealous-Until her onii-chan moved in at least.

“but…” she trailed off in confusion.

“If papa is papa…then who’s the mama?” The 12-year old asked skeptically, trying to put together the only knowledge of the process of where babies come from that she had-which was a mother and father.

“Yokozawa.” Kirishima filled in the missing gap with ease, completing the pieces that Hiyo worked with mentally.

Hiyo sniffled a bit and wiped at her eyes where tears of joy streamed down her rosy cheeks. The 12-year old flung into the unsuspecting raven’s arms. Yokozawa let out a squeak of surprise and lifted a shaky hand to card through the cheerful girl’s hair. The alpha next to him smirked, wearing an ‘I told you so face’, and comfortably crossed his arms across his chest while balancing one leg on the other.

“H-Hiyo…You don’t think…I’m weird?” Yokozawa mumbled uncomfortably looking anywhere but the matching sets of amber eyes. The girl’s head shot up like she’d been struck.

“Onii-chan would never be weird to me! I’m so excited!” she squealed, the high pitch tune straining the man’s ears.

“Oh, good” Yokozawa sighed trying to will his heart to slow down, not really knowing what else to say. He was so damn happy he wasn’t pushed away.

“Am I gonna have a baby brother, or sister?” Hiyo asked excitedly, now hopping from one foot to the other.

“We don’t really know yet.” Kirishima answered in an equally joyful tone, laced with soft laughter.

“Oh! I have to tell- EH!? Onii-chan why are you crying??” Hiyo asked, interrupting her outer monologue.

The alpha followed his daughter’s worried gaze to Yokozawa who sat with a hand clasped over his eyes while small tracks of tears escaped through the creases.

“I’m just-really happy.” The beta replied, his voice breaking with emotion.

Kirishima caught the young girl’s attention, beckoning her over quietly. Hiyo crept over to her father’s side while Yokozawa drew in shaky breaths. 

“Yokozawa is gonna be a little more emotional because of the baby.” The alpha whispered loud enough for the beta to hear.

“OI” the raven snapped, wiping at his flushed face hurriedly to glare at his leering mate.

“Father! Stop teasing Onii-chan.” Hiyo reprimanded the ever-comedic Kirishima.

“Yeah, yeah” The alpha waved her off lazily. 

Hiyo spent the rest of the night, energetically sending texts back and forth between her friends. Kirishima had to eventually confiscate her phone to keep her from staying up into the early hours of the morning, along with her friends on the other end. 

\----

“Umm Onii-chan…” 

Hiyo hovered near Yokozawa’s side all day ever since he woke up. She was clearly working up the nerve to ask him something and she finally decided to gain some confidence while Yokozawa gathered laundry. 

“Hm?” He hummed in acknowledgement, picking up the basket to walk it over to the washing machine.

“Where do babies come from?” 

The raven dropped the plastic bin in pure shock, frozen stiff as the contents tumbled onto the hardwood. Kirishima peeked over his newspaper waiting for his lover to answer. 

“Onii-chan?” she asked again, innocent brown eyes boring into the beta’s very conscious. 

Unable to bear the feelings of shame Yokozawa fled the apartment to go for a walk.

“Ask your father.” He barely choked out, before the door swung shut behind him.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! and sorry once again, I just can't seem to ever catch a break for time to write but I'll be doing my best to get the next chapter out soon! love you all <3  
> -Peachy


	14. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! this chapter is a little short, about 1,300 words, I just couldn't post it with the next one because it didn't seem like it really fit. But The next chapter I will do my best to make long and interesting! As always, thank you all so much for reading and I hope to see you all soon.  
> -Peachy

Yokozawa sighed as he walked through a nearby park, the late afternoon sun bathing him in warmth. Birds around him chirped, and the buzzing sounds of insects washed him in tranquility.

He could have handled that better.

But he never thought that Hiyo would ask him THAT of all things…

The raven’s inky locks swished as he shook his head. It was just because she looked up to him, it wasn’t her fault. Yokozawa couldn’t help a small smirk creeping onto his face at the thoughts of what difficult conversation Kirishima must be having with his precious daughter right now. Knowing Kirishima’s overprotective nature, he expected him to keep ‘the talk’ brief and vague.

How was he ever supposed to face Hiyo now?

\----

The beta returned to the cozy apartment later that evening, he decided to get some shopping done while he cooled his head, and visited the market for ingredients. Upon his return a shy Hiyo greeted him at the door along with a very concerned Kirishima.

“Um…” The youngster started, trying to meet her dear Onii-chan’s eyes. Yokozawa shuffled around taking his shoes off, confused. The raven raised a curious brow at his lover who loomed over his daughter. Kirishima only pushed her back lightly,

“Go on.” The alpha encouraged gently.

Hiyo stumbled forward slightly by her father’s shove and wrung her hands together nervously, finally dipping into a low bow.

“I’m sorry Onii-chan!” The 12-year old apologized, flustered.

Yokozawa handed his lover the plastic grocery bags that stood behind the guilty Hiyo. Kirishima dutifully carried the bags into the kitchen to put everything in its place about the cabinets and empty fridge. The beta dropped to a squat to meet the youngster’s eyes, while he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“There’s no need to apologize Hiyo.” Yokozawa assured soothingly.

The girl flinched and hesitantly peeked up to look into soft grey eyes.

“You’re not mad?” She asked, her voice quavering slightly.

“Of course not, why would I be mad?”

“I said something that made you uncomfortable, and father told me to apologize.” Hiyo explained, her brown eyes downcast with embarrassment. Yokozawa brushed it off with a light snort.

“It’s alright Hiyo, how about we forget about this and cook some dinner? I wanted to try that new recipe.” The beta suggested, trying to distract the youngster from her self-disappointment.

Hiyo’s eyes lit up and she was instantly back to her old self, tossing on her favorite apron while she handed the raven his personal bear-themed one.

“Mama bear~” Kirishima sung teasingly into the beta’s ear, barely dodging a cold slap. The alpha backed away laughing merrily while his daughter scolded him for ‘teasing Onii-chan again.’

\----

Everyday Yokozawa’s swelling abdomen grew just a little bit more, along with the development inside. Kirishima couldn’t stop himself from rubbing his tummy, which bothered the beta to no end. Multiple times Hiyo caught them in compromising positions. They weren’t doing anything bad, but it still embarrassed the raven greatly. Right now, was one of those times.

“Onii-cha-“ Hiyo froze in place at the sight her father and dear wild bear displayed on the narrow couch. Kirishima was comfortably napping on his lover’s lap, snoring softly into his belly with his ear pressed up against his bare skin that was revealed from the shirt that rode up the raven’s chest. Yokozawa looked like he had dozed off too- his head lolling to the side while his hand rested in the alpha’s soft almond locks. The tranquil sounds of sleep permeated the room and relaxed the youngster.

Hiyo quietly crept into her room before tip-toeing back out into the living room, clutching her small pink phone tightly. The girl quickly forgot about asking her Onii-chan to braid her hair, occupied with taking multiple shots of the sleeping pair-along with her in a few of them. Kirishima’s snores turned into a low constant growl, while Yokozawa began to snore lightly himself.

‘just like bears.’ She thought smiling, until she had an idea.

The youngster giggled as she used her filter app on her phone to put bear ear stickers on all of them with some hearts here and there, topped off with the caption ‘Family’. She’d send that to her father later…

Hiyo finally set her phone back down to grab a blanket from the closet to drape it over the snoozing “bears”. The 12-year old flinched when her father snorted rather loudly in response to the unfamiliar sensation against his back, before settling back down to nuzzle Yokozawa’s abdomen just a bit closer.

“Come on Sora-chan.” Hiyo whispered sweetly to the elderly feline that hopped from the arm of the couch to follow her into her room while she flicked off the lights.

\----

Yokozawa woke with a start, blinking around the dark room blearily. Where…? Oh, right he was on the couch with-

Kirishima grumbled and shifted on the couch to ease the discomfort in his spine in his sleep. The beta instantly went rigid and felt his face heat up when he noticed how they dozed off. Yokozawa lifted his hand from beneath the blanket that was buried in the alpha’s soft hair. The beta felt his lover’s dead weight settling in and grew antsy from the pressure that trapped him against the cushions. Steel grey searched the barely lit room for the ticking clock and could barely make out what time it was- Just a little past ten...

That meant Hiyo had gone to bed about 2 hours ago. How long had they slept here!?

“Oi…” The beta hissed shaking Kirishima awake.

“Mmh? Yokozawa…what time is it?” The alpha slurred, the effects of their nap still heavily affecting his speech.

“It’s late. We should head to bed or else I’m gonna be sore.” The beta urged trying to lift the drowsy alpha off of him. Blinking away the sleep from his eyes Kirishima summoned the ability to shoot his lover a sly expression while he winked.

“Ugh. Pervert.” Yokozawa snapped, squirming beneath the heavy weight settled in his lap to escape.

Kirishima hummed and obediently sat up, offering a hand to the beta that tried to work some feeling back into his legs. Yokozawa didn’t argue and grasped his lover’s palm that heaved him upright. Both men stumbled around the dark, throwing out a curse here and there as their clumsy feet bumped furniture and walls rather noisily.

“Shh.” Yokozawa urged when his lover barked out a vulgar swear when he stubbed his toe against the leg of the desk that stood behind the couch. Kirishima narrowed his amber eyes and lightly shoved the raven. The unsuspecting beta lost his footing and allowed the momentum to knock him to the floor.

“Oof-“ Yokozawa was able to catch himself on his hands before he could kiss the floor panels. Beside him an annoying alpha chuckled grabbing him by the armpits to lift him up. The beta protested squirming about snapping ‘that tickles dammit!’

Both men, too occupied with each other, didn’t notice the sudden light flooding from beneath the door in front of them nor the quiet creak as it eased open.

“Father? Onii-chan?”

Kirishima looked up upon hearing his daughter’s sleep heavy voice.

“Everything’s alright Hiyo, your onii-chan fell down and I came to his rescue~”

Yokozawa scoffed in disbelief but bit back his retort of ‘just who decided to shove him’.

“Ah ok, G’night.” Hiyo mumbled and shut her door to pad off to bed.

“Night.” Both dark silhouettes responded in unison.

Kirishima seemed to be having a giggle fit as he tried once more to lift his lover up, who slapped him away stubbornly as he rose to his feet.

“Are you drunk?” Yokozawa asked, glaring at his amused mate.

“Only on you~”

“Ugh, get that creepy tone out of your voice.” The raven groaned and trudged towards their bedroom, his heart fluttering on the word ‘their’ that rang in his mind.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much!! I'll try to get my next chapter out very soon so just hang in there!


	15. Ugly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter for all of you! Hope you enjoy and I'll be back with another soon <3  
> -Peachy

Yokozawa Takafumi, 3 months pregnant, sighed as he browsed through various DVD’s in the ‘athletics’ section. Fingers filed over plastic cases as he searched for what he had in mind.

‘what the hell am I doing here?’ He thought with a grimace plastered on his features.

It all started a few days ago…

**Yokozawa was wide awake beside the snoozing alpha. The beta glanced over at their bedside clock, showing that it was the early hours of the morning. He’d been plagued by self-doubting thoughts ever since he came to a realization at his desk the other day affecting his sleep drastically.**

**Kirishima, his normally insatiable lover, hadn’t touched him in almost a month, not even a single kiss! Usually the raven wouldn’t complain, he finally had a break for once- But then he started to think…**

**‘Maybe he thinks I’m disgusting now.’**

**No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that his lover wasn’t that type of person, the intrusive thoughts always came back- clouding his proper judgement. Not only that, but it also didn’t help that Hiyo had even called him fat herself.**

**Yokozawa tentatively lifted the sheets he was tucked under to peek at his growing bump. Feeling a flash of irritation at the sight of his swollen belly he shoved the covers back down and squeezed his eyes shut trying to will himself to sleep.**

**…**

**The next morning Yokozawa stepped out of the shower as Kirishima finished up brushing his teeth. He felt his lover’s eyes burning into his exposed skin as water cascaded down his drenched body. The alpha stepped forward and ran his warm hands along his hips that held up a damp towel. Kirishima leaned forward to close in for a kiss, sliding his hands up and up-**

**Disappointment panged through his heart when the alpha pulled away his hands that rested on his lower abdomen. Kirishima wore an uncomfortable grimace, looking as if he’d eaten something rotten and shuffled out of the bathroom wordlessly.**

**‘I knew it, it’s because I’m fat.’ The beta berated himself as he trailed his hands over his stomach.**

Back to present day, Yokozawa was on a mission to find pregnancy exercise DVD’s. The thought alone was mortifying, but looking for them was a whole new story. The beta frowned as he found what he was looking for, stepping away from the stand and making his way over to the register.

\----

The DVD player slowly ate the disk that the raven fed, and he watched the screen load reluctantly. A flash of neon green, purple and black assaulted his eyes along with some cheery music while a pregnant woman dressed in bold athletic wear stepped onto the screen. The beta flipped through the options to start on a beginner level. Yokozawa took a deep breath and relaxed himself as the blank screen buffered to reveal the scene of a gym room occupying several pregnant…women.

These were all women.

The beta tamped down his embarrassment and sat down on the yoga mat he bought following the chatter coming from the speakers.

\----

Sooner or later Kirishima was gonna find it. Yokozawa just wasn’t ready for him to yet.

“Huh? Did you buy a yoga mat…and what’s this?” The alpha asked, turning around to face the raven while he held up the small plastic case that contained a shiny disk.

Kirishima had decided that he wanted to look for some family photos and accidentally found where his mate had stashed the Workout DVD and foam mat in the far, dark corner of his closet.

“Why?” Kirishima questioned, taking a step forward to peer into his lover’s downcast eyes.

Yokozawa shrugged and tried to hide his face from the alpha.

“Tell me. Takafumi.” Almond eyes narrowed as he commanded him.

“I-It’s because I’m fat…” The beta trailed off, god he sounded so pathetic.

“No you’re not!” Kirishima assured him, trying to ease his inner turmoil.

“Then why?” Yokozawa snapped, looking up at him while angry tears streamed down his face.

“Why what?”

“Why haven’t you touched me!?” The raven shouted, annoyed with his lover’s persistent prying.

Kirishima was speechless.

“It’s because you think I’m disgusting, is that it?” He demanded while more drops trailed down his cheeks to meet at his chin.

“Where the hell did you get that idea?” The alpha asked incredulously.

“The other day, you wouldn’t kiss me when your hands stopped at my stomach. Just admit it! You don’t want me anymore now that I’m ugly.” Yokozawa borderline sobbed.

“Takafumi” Kirishima whispered before he tipped his mate’s tear-soaked chin towards him. The beta watched in slow motion as his lover inched forward to bring their lips into a passionate lock. The alpha broke away for air and surged forward to bring him into a tight embrace.

“You’re all that I want, for the rest of my life.”

Yokozawa felt his chest hitch. He was wrong?

“I just felt like I was doing something bad every time I touched you because of the little bear that’s always right there.” Kirishima muttered in embarrassment while he poked at his lover’s tummy for emphasis. A warm smile crossed the beta’s face at the name ‘little bear’.

“I’m sorry if I made you doubt yourself, you’ll always be my handsome Yokozawa-mama” the alpha couldn’t help but tease.

The beta opted for melting into Kirishima’s arms, instead of lashing out at him for the ridiculous nickname. Steady hands braced themselves against the raven’s back and heaved him upwards. Yokozawa instinctively wrapped his legs around his lover’s waist to cling to him, afraid of being dropped.  
‘Damn. He’s gotten even heavier.’

Kirishima made a mental note. There was no way he could say that out loud…

The alpha slowly trudged towards his bedroom and laid the beta on the mattress after closing the door behind him. Amber eyes locked on to steel grey that watched Kirishima’s tongue dart over his lips as his expression darkened with hunger and lust. He carefully took a step towards the raven, determined to kiss every inch of his beautiful body.

And for once Yokozawa couldn’t find a reason to protest while his mate told him how much he loved him.

\----

Again. He was doing it again.

Each passing day, Kirishima Hiyori caught her father sneakily caressing her Onii-chan’s tummy. Currently, the alpha had crept over to the couch with a soft smile on his face while Yokozawa snoozed peacefully into the plush cushions. The girl watched her father lean down, and apply pressure to the beta’s abdomen that moved as he drew in deep slumbering breaths. She waited for him to wake the raven up, but no such thing happened as he just continued to run his hand over the smooth, small bump. Hiyo raised her eyebrow and opened her mouth-

“Father-“

“Shh!”

Only for Kirishima to shush her voice that broke the serene silence. The youngster fidgeted for a moment and took a deep breath. She just had to ask…

“Papa, why do you keep touching Onii-chan’s stomach.” She questioned in a hushed whisper as she tip-toed over to the couch. looking up, Kirishima ceased his movements on his lover’s abdomen, and rose his hand to beckon her over. Hiyo obediently did so and felt her fathers hand grasp her delicate wrist to pull her hand towards the beta’s stomach. The girl squirmed in discomfort, she felt guilty for touching him while he was asleep until she flinched when she felt a sudden movement. Hiyo cautiously peeked up to look at her Onii-chan’s face only to see that his normally tense brow was still relaxed as he dozed off. The 12-year old’s brows knit in confusion and she flicked her gaze back over to her hand that rested on the raven’s tummy.

Hiyo gasped in surprise when she felt another punching feeling against her palm. The youngster drew her hand away as if she’d been burned.

“Papa why is Onii-chan’s stomach moving? Is he sick?” She asked worriedly, searching her father’s amused amber eyes for answers. Kirishima decided to let her calling him papa slide without teasing her. It was just so darn cute.

“That’s where the baby is.” The alpha explained matter-of-factly.

“Eh? really?!” Hiyo couldn’t help but raise her voice in shock and instantly flinched when she heard incoherent grumbling behind her.  
\----

Warm, everything felt so warm...

What was on his stomach?

Yokozawa could feel a phantom touch tracing along his abdomen as he drifted in and out of consciousness. The beta’s ears picked up bit’s and pieces of a distant conversation until he felt the pressure on his stomach to lift only to be replaced with something smaller. ‘Probably Sorata’ he thought drowsily and almost drifted of when-

“Eh!?...eally?”

Yokozawa recognized the high pitch tone that belonged to none other than Kirishima’s adorable daughter. The beta began to groan as he was pulled out of his mud-like sleep. His grey eyes fluttered open to reveal two sets of nervous brown eyes gazing down at him. Yokozawa drew his brows together and felt a chill creep over his exposed skin on his stomach. The raven snapped out of his groggy trance to tug his shirt down in embarrassment, a light flush covering his cheeks.

“what are you two doing?” He questioned, shooting his lover a glare. The alpha didn’t seem phased in the least and only grinned. They’d been caught.

\----

Kirishima huffed from his position at his desk. Lately he’d been wracking his brain for a way to cheer his grumpy bear up. Even after the alpha reassured him that he wasn’t unattractive, the beta still seemed to be in low spirits. He suddenly felt a vibration ring through his desk, and picked up his phone after a small chime (Hiyo’s ringtone) went off.

Elated honey eyes skimmed over the picture attachment that she sent him along with a text saying ‘Hope you have a good day at work!’

‘This will do just fine.’ Kirishima mused to himself with a smirk.

“Where’s the editor in chief?”

“Huh? Kirishima san? He’s right over there.”

The alpha looked up to see Katou pointing at him while a familiar secretary strode forward and bowed before him.

“The president had requested to see you.”

Kirishima nodded firmly with a grimace. Had his department made a mistake? Asahina’s stoic expression as always didn’t give any clues either, only serving to worry him to no end. The editor took a deep breath and plastered on a cool expression when he followed the secretary through the door into his boss’ office.

“Ah, Kirishima-san! So nice to see you, please have a seat.” Isaka cheerfully greeted him with a light-hearted wave.

The editor returned a charming smile and greeted him politely, stepping forward to pull up a chair until he stopped in his tracks,

“Yokozawa?”

The recognizable wild bear sat stiff in his chair that faced the president’s desk while he blushed up to the tips of his ears. The beta flinched when he heard his name and glanced over at the alpha briefly before returning his uncomfortable gaze to the floor.

Ok, he was starting to think he knew what this was about…

Isaka cleared his throat while his secretary moved to stand behind him.

‘That guy is like a statue…’ Kirishima thought warily, as he stared blankly across the desk where his boss sat. Isaka’s eyes challenged him for a bit before the alpha decided to speak up,

“You wanted to see me?” The editor reminded, skeptically looking over the enthusiastic president for any hints.

“Yep.”

“…and?”

“The wild bear brought something to my attention.” Isaka started, enjoying the dramatic suspense while he clasped his hands together. The look on their faces was priceless! Kirishima suppressed a shudder, this guy was one sick bastard…

Deciding to finally finish his dramatic claim the boss sighed and feigned a look of mock distress.

“Our head salesman here, bravely stepped into my office to discuss an important issue but he stopped midsentence! The suspense was killing me so I sent Asahina to fetch you, since you and Yokozawa are supposedly close.” Deep amethyst eyes shined with amusement as he continued on, he was clearly entertained by this,

“He’s been sitting there blushing from head to toe since he stopped talking. Would you happen to know anything, Kirishima-san?” Isaka questioned.

Kirishima turned to look at his lover who only squirmed in his seat when he felt everyone’s eyes land on him.

“Er…Asahina, sorry but could we have the room please?”

“As you wish.” With a polite nod and bow, he cleared the room at the editor’s request.

Isaka raised a skeptical brow when the door clicked shut behind his secretary.

“Please continue.” The now serious president urged.

“Yokozawa wanted to ask you if he could take a leave of absence for the remainder of his pregnancy.” Kirishima remarked coolly. Isaka’s stoic expression dropped, along with his jaw.

“Is this a joke?” He asked when he regained his composure, eyeing the pair with suspicion.

“No sir.” The alpha replied instantly, showing no hint of hesitation.

“Hmm…Yokozawa please stand up.” The president demanded, this seemed too much like a prank of some sort. The beta jolted and looked at his lover questioningly, only to get a slight nod in encouragement. The raven complied and rose from his seat slowly, standing stiffly while he fiddled with his hands.

“No way…” Isaka trailed off in disbelief when he saw the beta’s swollen abdomen. You really had to be looking for it to tell, but the bump was definitely there.

“How far along are you if you don’t mind me asking?” The president asked curiously, his gaze still glued to the raven’s stomach.

“3 months.” The beta muttered.

“Wow. How were you able to hide it so well?” Isaka mused aloud.

“Isaka-san, Yokozawa wishes to keep his pregnancy a secret from his peers, which is why he requests a leave of absence.” Kirishima steered the president back to the topic they originally meant to discuss.

“Ah right…” Isaka trailed off in thought.

“While I do understand why you want to keep this under wraps, I can’t just send my best salesman away for 6 months.” The president strategized, while the beta flinched in response.

“Yokozawa, do you think you can hold out for another month?” He addressed him directly.

Yokozawa hummed in thought, it wasn’t like he was showing that much. The beta knew he was right…

“That’s manageable.” The raven agreed and thanked him politely before he and Kirishima ducked out of the room.

“Congratulations you two!” The president teased with a wave before the door eased shut.

Yokozawa sighed as he walked back to the stairwell that would lead him back down to the salesfloor. He was still trying to get some exercise after-all.

“Oi, why are you following me?” The beta snapped when his lover took a step down the same stair-case.

“What, I’m not allowed to use the stairs?”

“I never said that!”

“I just wanted to tell you that, that was really brave back there.”

“Thanks…but you did all the talking.” Yokozawa mumbled while a light, pink flush dusted his face.

Kirishima suppressed the urge to kiss him, knowing that he would get shoved away, and opted for slapping him on the back.

“Ow! What the hell?” The raven yelped in pain, turning to glare at his lover. The alpha’s phone buzzed to life in his pocket, and he fished it out to see that one of his subordinates was calling. Probably asking his whereabouts…

“Gotta take this!” Kirishima signaled, waving his phone in the air while he made his escape.

\----

Yokozawa Takafumi sighed in relief as he stepped through the apartment door to take off his shoes. It had been a really long day…

He’d just broken the news to Isaka-san 2 weeks ago in preparation to take leave. Normally, expecting parents work through their whole pregnancy, but Yokozawa’s case was different. Many expressed disgust and hatred towards pregnant men even though it was fairly common among omegas. Being a male beta, and pregnant was worse. He wouldn’t be able to ever return to Marukawa if he were outcast, so he decided to play it safe and work from home on his laptop. He would mostly be reviewing sales data and oversee his department by taking calls to offer advice and have his subordinates fill him in. It wasn’t much, but it was a decent compromise for the workaholic salesman.

‘Just two more weeks.’ The beta told himself, completely sapped of energy while he looked up at Hiyo’s decorative calendar that marked important dates in the genkan. His rounds were very tough now that his feet were swelling, and the narrow shoes that he favored weren’t exactly helping. His lover had suggested that he wear his shoes as a nice gesture-but he didn’t want to wear down Kirishima’s nice shoes any more than they already were, so he’s trying to tough it out until he’s on break. Not to mention that he’s always exhausted, taking him twice as long to get to his usual bookstores.

Yokozawa looked at his worn loafer’s in distaste, dreading having to put them back on in the morning…

A lot of his brave co-workers were starting to point out that his style changed. The beta opted for wearing a baggy sweatshirt one weekend when he came in to work over-time and got ogled by his curious peers all day long. Yokozawa had been trying his best to leave an extra amount of his dress shirts untucked so that it would make his expanding bump less noticeable, but Henmi as stupidly sharp as ever made a chilling observation that he looked significantly different around his torso. Luckily, he had just eaten lunch so he was able to play it off as having a big meal, but he could only have so many meals a day before people got suspicious of his excuses. Before he started putting on weight the beta was in good shape, and relatively thin. The raven ran a hand through his sweat-damp locks in frustration. How long was he going to have to put up with this!?

Standing in the entranceway, agonizing over the past two weeks, Yokozawa failed to notice a trickling sensation dripping down over his lips to plop on the floor. The beta hesitantly brought up a hand to his nose and smeared some of the warm substance on his fingers.

“Shit!”

Cursing the raven recognized the deep red liquid as blood, and rushed for the bathroom to staunch the flow.

\----

Kirishima hummed to himself as he carried a small plastic bag that held a gift for his beloved bear. The alpha had gone out to purchase a decorative frame and used the picture his daughter sent him as the main piece. Jogging up the stairwell the editor pulled out his key to unlock the door, antsy to see- oh right Hiyo was with his mother tonight. At least Yokozawa should be there, but that probably means they’re gonna get take-out. He was looking forward to the duo’s cooking tonight… Lost in thought while turning the lock, Kirishima halted when he saw stray drops of crimson littering the light flooring. The editor dropped the gift bag in shock as worst-case scenarios flooded his mind.

‘Not again.’ The alpha thought in dismay and followed the fresh trail to the bathroom.

“Yokozawa are you- !!“

He stopped himself when he saw his lover pinching his nose while he held a blood-soaked tissue up to his face. Kirishima couldn’t help but snicker when he saw his mate’s ridiculous state and felt laughter bubble up his chest in relief.

The beta flipped him off and dropped the soiled tissue into the waste bin, leaning down to rinse off his nose and hands.

“S-Sorry..It’s just you looked ridiculous!” Kirishima guffawed between bouts of laughter.

“You get no dinner now.” Yokozawa snapped as he turned off the tap, tilting his head to glare at his lover.

“Aww come on, don’t be like that!” The alpha whined, wiping away a stray tear as he calmed down.

The raven proceeded to ignore him and laid casually across the couch, putting a hand over his eyes... He could still taste faint iron in the back of his throat. His sharp ears picked up rustling from within the room as Kirishima walked over with a decorative paper bag. Yokozawa peeked from beneath his arm curiously to eye the bag that rested in the alpha’s hands.

“Open it.” Kirishima urged as he prodded at the beta’s arm with the bag.

“I’m not trying on any-“

The raven’s words died in his throat when he gently pulled a picture frame out of wrapping paper. The frame had paw-prints of some sort, Yokozawa suspected them to be bear tracks with the weird curve of the print’s nails. At the bottom of the 5x9 wooden frame, was the word ‘Family’, carved intricately into the wood. Yokozawa rubbed his thumb carefully across the piece of glass separating him from the photo itself, that Hiyo secretly took when he and Kirishima napped on the couch behind her while she held up a peace-sign. The sight of Kirishima practically laying in his lap embarrassed him to no end, his eyes catching a chubby black cat peering at the sleeping pair from the arm of the sofa. But what made him smile momentarily was the small filter sticker’s Hiyo photoshopped onto the picture, small bear ears adorned each of their heads. Seems like his reputation of Marukawa’s wild bear was going to follow him for the rest of his life…

“Have I earned my dinner back?” Kirishima teased, while leaning over the back of the couch as he watched his mate tear up. The alpha’s eyes widened in shock when his lover snapped a hand out to grasp at his collar and tug him into a passionate kiss. Kirishima gasped for breath when Yokozawa released him from his hold.

“Oh my, have I earned dessert too?” The alpha tested, eyes glinting with hope and mischief.

“Dream on.” The beta retorted, heaving himself upwards to place the picture on the kitchen counter while he threw on his apron to prepare a hearty meal for the two of them.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, you all supporting me inspires me greatly. You guys are seriously the best I can't thank you enough for reading my little story. See you soon!  
> -Peachy


	16. Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter for you all! the next chapter will be out soon, I promise not to leave you all on a cliffhanger for too long! Thank you for your patience, I had such a busy week! <3  
> -Peachy

Kirishima Zen always seemed to plan the worst times to parade himself about the sales floor. He occasionally dropped by at least once a day to tease his lover. But lately Yokozawa found that the further he was from his mate, the more anxiety piled up. Seeing those amber eyes peek into the room melted away any worry or discomfort immediately for the raven.

Of course, the alpha had noticed this, knowing his lover was not affectionate by nature. All of those subtle shoulder touches or snuggling closer when he thought Kirishima was asleep did not go underappreciated. Which brought the beta back to the room he was currently relaxing in. Yokozawa saw the sunlight starting to bleed through the sheer curtains, urging him to get up. He felt shifting behind him and a sleepy growl slipped from his lover’s lips. The alpha tightened his grip on the raven, elated when the beta soundlessly slid closer to bury his face into his chest.

Why was getting up so hard?

\----

It was now Yokozawa’s second to last week in the office before he took leave, eventually the lazy bears rolled out of bed and freshened up for work. Today was Friday, much to Yokozawa’s relief, and the trio had plans to visit the aquarium the next day. The raven looked forward to their outing all week, keeping him going through his endless work. Naturally, the beta decided to head into work earlier this morning ahead of Kirishima, hoping to get enough work done and head out sooner in the evening-he’d been desperately trying to catch up on sleep, ever since Kirishima pulled an all-nighter with a few of his subordinates at the office over a serious, broken deadline. Yokozawa put Hiyo to bed alone that night, and slipped under his own lonely cover’s, only to hardly get a wink of sleep.

The beta had been plagued with anxiety all night without his mate at his side, as ridiculous as it sounded. Being pregnant in a bonded pair caused him to instinctively seek out the alpha, explaining his sudden change in affection. The further along he got in his pregnancy, side-effects just seemed to keep adding up, frustrating Yokozawa to no end. Kirishima tried his best to comfort him through his mood swings that left him feeling sensitive, emotional; and the morning sickness he woke up to on a daily basis-but Yokozawa’s stubborn pride only pushed him away, hurting both of them in the process. In short, the raven was utterly exhausted.

As Yokozawa walked through the glass doors, known as Marukawa Publishing House’s entrance, he ran into a few editors excitedly chattering about the latest office gossip.

‘what a pain.’ The beta thought, feeling annoyance prickle the skin on his neck as he quietly stalked behind the enthusiastic group. Too caught up in their own world, the editors failed to notice the irritated figure that hovered behind them into the elevator. Yokozawa picked up bits and pieces of their conversation, unable to drown out the woman’s voice that prattled endlessly. What piqued the beta’s interest, was the word ‘pregnant’

“I can’t believe he’s pregnant!”

The raven broke out into a cold sweat. ‘They couldn’t know, could they? Surely Isaka-san wouldn’t…’

“Do you think the baby’s gonna have brown hair or black hair?”

“Brown would be so cute!”

…This had to be about him, what with the ominous mention of his and Kirishima’s hair color. Maybe he wasn’t going to have to keep it a secret by taking leave…The beta fought to keep a calm demeanor until the group stepped off onto their own floor, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He would calmly address the situation with Kirishima later, he couldn’t afford to cause a scene in the workplace.

\----

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?”

Kirishima jumped off the couch in surprise, when his lover stormed into their apartment. The alpha hissed a curse and picked up the now, half empty, beer can that fell out of his hands amidst the commotion. Ignoring the spill, amber eyes landed on a very furious beta.

“Excuse me?” The alpha demanded impatiently. What the hell was going on?

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Yokozawa snapped, just as impatient.

Kirishima narrowed his eyes, he hated being accused.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“THE WHOLE COMPANY KNOWS”

“Knows wha- oh…” those almond eyes widened momentarily in shock, he had heard gossip of an office pregnancy lately now that he thought about it…but he only heard snippets, not really picking up any particular details.

“I promise Takafumi, I’m not the leak.” The alpha calmly assessed his distressed lover.

“What exactly did you hear, could you have misunderstood anything?” Kirishima asked curiously, maybe this wasn’t about them?

“I heard them say shit like ‘ _he’s_ pregnant’, and guessing of the baby’s possible features that resembled _ours_.” Yokozawa hissed venomously, still stubbornly distrustful of the alpha.

“Oh.” Kirishima breathed, well that was damning.

“What am I gonna do?” the beta groaned while he slumped to the floor, burying his face in his hands. The alpha moved over to run his hand over his mates’ shoulder comfortingly.

“It can’t be that bad, everyone seems to be excited at least.” Kirishima reasoned, in an attempt to soothe his worry-wart of a lover.

“That’s not the point, I didn’t want everyone to know my business!” The beta’s complaint muffled by his hands.

“Takafumi, did you even hear our names come up in their conversation?”

Yokozawa paused for a minute in thought.

No…he didn’t.

The beta shook his head after a minute or two and Kirishima sighed.

“This could just be a coincidence, try to relax, you’ll only give yourself away if you continue to blow up at everybody.” The alpha chuckled with a bitter smile.

Yokozawa lifted his head to flash him a customary glare, even though his lover was right. Maybe this whole thing will blow over…

\----

Yokozawa huffed in irritation as he struggled to fasten the pants that hugged his waist tightly. The beta tried once again to suck in a breath and make room for his expanding stomach, that seemed to have already outgrown his new slacks.

“Agh!” The raven yelled in frustration as he yanked his legs out of the clothing, throwing the poor fabric across the room.

“Woah!” Kirishima barely dodged the black pants that were flying his way as he stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from the shower. The alpha curiously looked up to see his mate huffing angrily, his cheeks red with fury. The beta’s arms were stiff at his sides, his fists clenched tightly. Amber eyes traced over the bump that peeked halfway out of his lover’s elastic on his boxers, that rose and fell erratically as he drew in short breaths.

“Why don’t you wear something more casual?” Kirishima suggested while he rifled through his closet to toss Yokozawa a pair of his old jeans, and a dark grey pullover, that had his faded college’s name embroidered on the front. The beta inspected the clothing, sighing in defeat while he pulled the sweatshirt over his head, and blindly fumbled each foot through the pantlegs on the jeans. Yokozawa’s hands reached down to tug the zipper up, but Kirishima grabbed his wrists and bat them away. The alpha proceeded to trail his hand down, feather light touches teasing over the beta’s exposed tummy that shuddered slightly under his touch. A zipping sound could be heard through the room as Kirishima fastened his lover’s pants for him, all the while smirking amusedly.

“We’ll have to go shopping later~” The alpha teased, and nipped at the beta’s ear. Yokozawa shivered and pushed him away.

Today they were going on a trip to the aquarium at Hiyo’s request, and Yokozawa wanted to dress nicely. Lately however, that seemed to be impossible as his baby bump continued to grow each day. The raven was beginning to lose his patience, dreading the mere thought of going back to that store…

“Father, Onii-chan! Hurry up we’re gonna be late!” Hiyo’s sweet voice filtered through the door, urging them to finish up.

The trio had reserved tickets for an underwater mermaid show for the youngster. The performance would be starting in an hour or so, giving them some time to arrive and look around for a bit. But Hiyo seemed to be too excited, and wanted to get there as soon as possible.

“Alight, alright!” Kirishima called back in mock exasperation.

\----

“Hiyo, your onii-chan and I have some errands to run while you hang out with Yuki-chan, call me or Yokozawa if you need anything while we’re gone.” Kirishima’s deep voice flooded over the line.

“Got it! have fun and don’t tease Onii-chan!” Hiyo replied over the receiver, instructing her father like a child.

“Yes ma’am~”

With a light button press and a beep, the call was ended, and the alpha turned to his mate that fidgeted restlessly in the passenger side of the car. Their adventure to the aquarium went off without a hitch, leaving the group happily satisfied with the outing. Hiyo had gotten a call from her friend right as the show came to an end, asking her if she wanted to have a sleepover. Kirishima gave her the go-ahead, and made use of the opportunity of having time to themselves to drag his lover out for shopping.

“Come on.” The alpha urged his reluctant lover to leave the vehicle. Yokozawa reached for the handle with much hesitation-Kirishima didn’t wait, dancing around to his side and yanking the door open for the beta.

“Let’s go!” Amber eyes shined with amusement, as the owner dragged the stumbling figure behind him towards the maternity store.

\----

“What do you think about this?” Kirishima asked as he walked over to his mate, who was glancing over a table displaying neatly folded jeans. The pair had deposit themselves in the scarce men’s section of the store. This department store was just one of the few that housed such an option, leaving the duo with hardly any options.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure I won’t--!” Yokozawa halted his response when his eyes fell on the lacy pair of navy-blue briefs that his mate held up, wearing a devilish grin.

“PUT THAT BACK” The beta snapped, turning on his heel to ignore the alpha while he blushed profusely.

“You’re no fun!” Kirishima whined, dragging himself back to the intimate’s section.

“Tsk!” Yokozawa clicked his tongue in irritation, forcing himself to focus on the jeans that he had been looking over.

“Yokozawa-san?” A familiar voice called out incredulously.

The beta froze up and cautiously turned his head to meet their brown eyes. The tall figure peeked over a rack of dress-shirts curiously eyeing the raven.

“Yukina?”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Why’re you?” The beta stubbornly dodged the question, turning the question back on the young part-time bookstore clerk.

“Eh…umm” Yukina struggled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

“Takafumi.” Kirishima’s booming voice called to, and questioned his lover, demanding who this kid was.

“Kirishima-san!” The beta snapped when his lover stepped in front of him to shield him from prince-like alpha.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kirishima Zen.” The brunette introduced himself politely with a forced smile playing on his lips. His eyes told the other alpha to back off. Yukina bristled and stood up straight, prepared to do likewise when-

“Yukina! I need your help!” A recognizable voice urged from the dressing room.

“Ah! Just a minute Kisa-san!” The bookstore part-timer called back, over his shoulder.

“Huh?” Yokozawa and Kirishima both exhaled, dumbfounded.

“What the hell is taking so long! I said--!” Kisa had poked his dark head around the corner of the fitting room, to glare at his lover only to land his eyes on…workplace associates. The short raven paled and whipped back around the corner with a squeak of embarrassment. Yokozawa looked equally disturbed at Kirishima’s side.

“Hmm…” Kirishima hummed thoughtfully while tapping at his chin. The beta beside him looked up, only to see the peculiar look on his face.

“Out with it.” the raven demanded.

“Oh, I just realized what the fuss is about at the office…” The alpha hinted, waiting for the beta to connect the dots. Yokozawa felt relief wash over him momentarily, before new worries came flooding back. ‘Then that means that shrimp knows too!’ He thought in dismay. How many people knew by now? Onodera, Takano, Hiyori, Isaka, now Yukina and Kisa too!? As Yokozawa listed their names in his head Yukina apologized and rushed into the back to check on his mate. Kirishima whistled, gaining the beta’s attention and pointed at the exit. Yokozawa nodded in agreement and set a brisk walk towards the front entrance to swiftly make their escape.

\----

Yokozawa sighed as he pulled on another pair of pants in the enclosed, dimly lit stall. He and Kirishima decided to try a different, larger store, hoping to draw less attention to themselves.

“Come out. Let me see them.” The alpha on the other side of the door urged.

“Give me a second!” Yokozawa snapped, running a hand through his hair. He was exhausted, he just wanted to go home and crawl into bed with… The raven shook his head, his inky black locks swishing side-to-side as he cleared his thoughts. Over the click of the lock being flicked open, the beta picked up soft, conversing voices. The door eased open slowly, and Yokozawa peeked out to make sure no one was looking. He only stepped out of the stall when the coast was clear, hissing his mate’s name.

Where the hell did, he go?

The raven frowned and peeked around the wall to see his lover interacting with a young woman, who was a good head shorter than him. The alpha had his arms crossed, and looked annoyed as his brow began to twitch. The stranger bowed, blushing harshly and Kirishima exhaled in irritation. Couldn’t he have one outing with his mate where he wasn’t chased down by desperate, bored housewives? Kirishima shook his wavy, light brown mop and put up dismissive hands. The petite figure’s face fell, and immediately heat up in humiliation. Whatever Kirishima said, she didn’t like it. Yokozawa had carefully observed his lover get approached enough times to know the personalities of the brave souls who confessed. This one seemed like the type to cause a scene.

The woman stomped her foot and shouted at him, claiming that ‘You came onto me first!’ While the beta felt a prickle of annoyance from the bold woman, he also felt a small painful surge in his heart when he came to a realization-they looked like a normal bickering couple at first glance. But two men over 180 cm? No matter how many times he’s tried to convince himself otherwise, Yokozawa still doesn’t feel like he deserves the right to stand at the charming alpha’s side. A woman, not as ditzy as this one, would make a better picture with the Kirishima’s than him…

Kirishima’s eyes darkened and his faked easy expression dropped, leaving behind an icy demeanor. The alpha tapped at his neck and pointed over at the fitting rooms where his mate watched from afar. Yokozawa felt a phantom touch ripple over his own neck right when Kirishima rubbed at his mark, the alpha’s smell assaulted his nose stronger than ever. Amber clashed with steel grey when their eyes met, and Kirishima shot him an apologetic look. The beta nodded and turned back into the fitting room, after Kirishima raked his gaze over the raven’s torso, subtly offering a thumbs up in approval while the woman continued to make a fuss.

The alpha watched his mate disappear back behind the wall and turned his head to face the stranger.

“Would you kindly not bother my mate or I again?” Kirishima barely questioned, more like an order. She looked like she was about to put up another fight, but her husband walked up behind her and started shouting disapprovingly. Not wanting a part in other people’s affairs, the alpha slipped away and made his way back to the fitting rooms. He stopped in front of Yokozawa’s stall, knocking lightly on the door.

“Takafumi?”

The sound of the switching lock clicked and the door slowly creaked open. Yokozawa looked at his stony reflection in the floor length mirror as Kirishima walked up behind him.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, I trust you.” The beta bit out, unable to contain the slight waver in his voice.

“What’s wrong?” The sharp alpha pressed.

“Just- “Yokozawa started, sighing harshly and scrubbing a hand over his face as his shoulders slumped.

“T-that woman, you look normal with someone like that at you side, but this- “The beta gestured to himself degradingly.

“Doesn’t.” He finished in a broken whisper, holding back a sob. Why was he so damn emotional!? He just wanted to scream, cry and pull his hair out all at once. Strong arms linked around his navel and his breath hitched when he felt Kirishima growl softly next to his mark, soothing him instantly. Kirishima pressed his chest up against the raven’s back, their bodies slotting together as he embraced him from behind. The intimate moment was cut short when Kirishima pulled away, leaving Yokozawa craving his touch.

“I have an idea.”

Yokozawa tensed up, was he breaking up with him? Dammit! He had to ruin everything with his damn pity parties!

“Did you try all of these on?” The alpha questioned, changing the subject. Can this guy make up his mind?

“Uhm yes…” Yokozawa replied, stock still in his original clothes. Why was he getting off topic?

“Which ones were you gonna buy?”

The beta silently went about picking up the items he liked and wadded them up in his arms. He stiffly exits the stall as Kirishima directed him out. The pair quietly made their way to the registers to pay for their items. Yokozawa took the shopping bag from the clerk and followed his eerily serious lover out the door to the car-park. Kirishima opened his passenger door for him, urging him to sit down, before walking back over to the driver’s side to flick on the ignition. Yokozawa sat impatiently on the uncomfortable ride back to their apartment, nearly sighing in relief when he saw the familiar street sign-Kirishima zoomed straight through the light.

“OI that was our street! Pay attention!” The beta snapped in frustration, breaking the tense atmosphere that loomed heavily in the vehicle. The alpha glanced over at him briefly, shrugged, and pressed down harder onto the gas pedal, steering them onto the highway. Yokozawa gripped the side handle tightly, gulping as the car gained speed.

Where was he taking him?

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Your feedback, in any form, is always something that I love to see, It keeps me going!  
> See you all soon!  
> -Peachy


	17. Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is kind of a long chapter, but it's a happy one! Next chapter will be out soon, and thank you so much for reading!  
> -Peachy

Yokozawa woke up as the car rolled to a stop. The beta blinked drowsily, trying to take in his surroundings. As the raven stirred, he distantly heard Kirishima whispering,

“Wakey, wakey~” The alpha sing-songed, gently shoving his shoulder. Yokozawa sat up and ran a hand over his face, turning to look out of the car window. During their drive, the sun had set leaving behind a bright full moon surrounded by dazzling stars. Dim street lamps lit the familiar, empty parking lot. He recognized this place as his eyes adjusted. The unmistakable lullaby of crashing waves filled his ears as he sluggishly stepped out of the vehicle to stretch his aching joints.

“Why…?” The beta muttered, looking to the alpha for answers. Kirishima only responded with a soft smile and grabbed his hand, tugging him along. Yokozawa stumbled behind the brunette who seemed to have a set destination as they neared the beach. His adjusted pupils, and with assistance from the moonlight, helped him make out the alpha’s soft features. The pair halted near a cluster of rocks, just a few feet away from the serene ocean. Yokozawa’s mind still foggy from sleep, tried to keep up with the words that spilled from his lover’s mouth.

“Remember the first time I brought you here?”

Yokozawa recalled the memory that occurred around a year and a half ago. Kirishima had dragged him here to cheer him up when he was doubting his relationship with the alpha. The beta stopped his mind from replaying the explicit parts and nodded in response.

“Before you came along, I thought that I would never love anyone except family again. But you, Takafumi, reminded me that anything is possible. The past year and a half that I’ve spent with you, has been the happiest Hiyo and I’ve been for a long time.”

Yokozawa tensed up when Kirishima squeezed his hand tighter, his amber eyes bright with passion and love.

“I wanted to wait until after the little one arrived, but I can’t stand to see you doubt yourself any longer. I want you to be the one who stays by my side for the rest of my life.”

The beta felt a lone tear trail down his left cheek, leaving behind a wet streak that glinted under the moonlight. Starlight reflected through the editor’s eyes as he allowed the next syllables to leave his tongue,

“Yokozawa Takafumi.”

The alpha reached into his pocket and fished out a small square box. The soft felt ran over his fingers as he knelt down on one knee, sinking into the damp sand and cracking the box open.

“Will you…”

The fragile box snapped open to reveal a simple, silver band, glinting under the soft natural light.

“Be my husband?”

Yokozawa felt all of the breath leave his lungs into the crisp night air. It was November now; the leaves starting to turn and fall away. He wasn’t breaking up with him? How could he be so stupid, he loved this man and he was willing to watch him walk away seconds ago.

Fresh tears welled up in the raven’s eyes and he tried to blink them away in embarrassment. Kirishima waited patiently while his lover furiously rubbed at his face.

“I-I…” The beta tried, his words failing him miserably.

“M-Me too, I’m s-so happy.” He finally stuttered out, watching his mate’s waiting face light up.

“Is that a-“

“ _Yes_ ”

Kirishima pushed himself forward, tackling his lover into a tight hug. The alpha heaved the beta up by the waist, using his arms to hold him steady while he spun him around in a small circle. Youthful sounding laughter rang through the air as the world around them twirled, like music to the raven’s ears. He loved his laugh…Those tightly sealed amber eyes held unshed tears as he rejoiced with the beta. Kirishima set the raven back down on his two feet to produce the band he proposed with, sliding it onto his left ring finger. The cool metal heated against Yokozawa’s skin as they locked hands, and made their way back to the car.

\----

Though it was awfully common nowadays, same-sex marriage was still frowned upon in the eyes of the law, and considered a taboo in society-preventing them from holding any large gathering in celebration. Knowing this fact fully well, Kirishima Zen made the ultimate choice to propose to his lover anyways. After all, he’d already been married before, it being one of the happiest moments of his life-but the ceremony had made him fairly uncomfortable. The sea of eyes that judged him at the altar was a moment he would never forget.

While the alpha was blessed with a charismatic trait, large crowds still made him itch, especially if the audience was focused on him. So, naturally Kirishima decided that he would have a small family gathering in celebration of their joining, instead of an extravagant ceremony- Knowing his lover would appreciate it as much as him. Which led to the suggestion that rolled off of his tongue,

“We should tell my parents.”

Yokozawa stopped stirring the mixture of stew that he was making for dinner and dropped the spoon. The beta knew that he was going to have to cross that bridge someday, he just wasn’t expecting to be so soon-especially when he was pregnant with their son’s child…

How would they react? Would they turn away disgusted, disown their son?

“ _Takafumi._ ”

The raven flinched and picked up the spoon that splattered droplets of the steaming broth onto to the clean counter. He cursed and grabbed a paper towel to wipe up the mess. Kirishima’s hand snapped out and clasped his wrist tightly, stopping him from distracting himself. The beta avert his gaze and yanked his arm away, folding his arms against his chest.

“Is that a good idea?” Yokozawa asked, feeling self-conscious.

“My parents just want me to be happy, and they already see how good you are with Hiyo. They will accept you unconditionally, just as Hiyo and I did, the Kirishima’s are a loving, open-minded family.”

The raven nodded his head lightly, half of his concerns cleared, but there was still something on his mind…

  
“Besides, my parents have met you before, my own mother probably loves you more than me!” Kirishima whined in mock despair.

Yokozawa fought down a smirk and glanced over at the new wedding band that adorned his lover’s ring finger. The beta found his courage to speak his mind while rubbing at his bloated stomach, tired of keeping up with the inner turmoil.

“They may like me now, but what about after they see…-just what if they-“Kirishima surged forward and pressed a kiss to his moving lips, cutting off his rant. The alpha pulled away and cut his lover a serious expression.

“You _have_ to stop asking _what if_ , everything will work out. Trust me.”

Yokozawa looked like he was about to argue until a loud sizzling sound broke the thick silence.

“Shit!” The beta rushed over to the pot of stew that was boiling over the sides, leaking onto the burners, leaving behind a foul, singed smell. Kirishima had the gall to chuckle in amusement, as he watched his lover flit about the kitchen to clean up the mess.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“I’m home~” Hiyo’s cheerful voice called from the entryway, the clicking of shoes could be heard as she kicked them off.

“Huh? Father what did I tell you about trying to cook while I’m gone, it smells terrible in here!” The youngster scolded as she pinched her nose. The alpha’s hands flew up innocently,

“Don’t look at me! It was your onii-chan!” Kirishima pointed the blame on his lover childishly.

“Do you need help onii-chan?” Hiyo had already rushed to the raven’s side before hearing her father’s alibi.

“Hey! Greet your papa, would you?” The alpha cried.

“Grow up father.” Hiyo teased as she helped Yokozawa salvage their dinner. The beta’s ring glinted momentarily after reflecting the kitchen light that shined above them, catching the 12-year old’s attention.

“Huh? Onii-chan when did you and father get matching rings!?” The youngster demanded, while she puffed her cheeks out with jealously.

“Uh…”

“Does Hiyo want one too?” Kirishima asked, saving his lover from an explanation.

“Of course, I do! The next time you guys go somewhere fun take me with you, got it?” Hiyo scolded her father.

“You heard the little lady.” The alpha told his lover while he grinned, seems like they were going to be making a trip to the jewelry store.

\----

“Umm…”

Yokozawa looked up from his desk, it was his last week of work and he was just about to head out early when someone approached his desk nervously. The beta signed out of the program on his computer, before looking up to see-

“Kisa-san?”

“Could you…come with me?” The short raven muttered, pointing at a nearby empty conference room. Assuming that this was about their run-in at the store over the weekend, Yokozawa complied, pushing himself up from his seat.

“I’m heading out, good work today.”

“Ah! Good work Yokozawa-san!” Henmi replied from his desk, flustered by the unusual compliment, but there was something wrong. His subordinate had refused to look him in the eyes all day…strange.

The door clicked shut behind the pair and Kisa gestured for him to take a seat. The beta raised his brow, and wanting to make this as quick and painless as possible, he followed sitting down across from the omega at the conference table.

“S-so you saw me-“

“Yes, I did see you with that Yukina kid at the store, what about it?” Yokozawa snapped, did he think he was stupid or something?

“I-I just-“

“Is that all? Because this really isn’t my business.”

Kisa felt a flash of irritation well up when the raven interrupted him for the second time.

“No, its not.” The omega growled. Yokozawa kept an indifferent expression, but on the inside his heart was pounding. He knows why I was there…

“I just wanted to say it’s nice not being the only one pregnant at the office.”

“ _Excuse me_?” The salesman decided to keep up his façade, he couldn’t afford rumors to spread around the office.

The editor shot him a glare from across the table, this guy was so dense!

“There’s no use denying it, I already know from multiple sources-“ Kisa’s mouth snapped closed, he wasn’t supposed to say that much.

“What did you just say?” Yokozawa demanded, shooting the omega an icy glare.

“I-I heard from Onodera and Takano when they were drunk after work…” Kisa confessed, bowing his head. Yokozawa’s heart stopped momentarily.

Not good.

“Was anyone else around?”

The omega shook his head meekly. The beta stifled a sigh of relief and felt his pulse calm down.

“There is something else…” Kisa continued, the beta had a right to know after what he’s done.

Yokozawa raised his head to look at the editor, his dark hair was covering his large brown eyes.

“I…kind of told some people.” The beta’s ears went numb. He did not just say that…

“ _what.”_

“I’m so sorry! Please don’t kill me!”

“Who!?” Yokozawa demanded, now he had to deal with damage control! This loose-lipped idiot!

“Hatori, and a few other editors…and..Henmi”

The salesman ran a hand over his face and groaned. Storming down there to convince them otherwise would only make it suspicious and possibly confirm the “rumor” Kisa had spread.

“Undo it.”

Kisa flinched in surprise, expecting to be harshly reprimanded.

“Huh?”

“You heard me. Clean up this mess yourself, you caused it and there’s nothing I can do. Now if you’ll excuse me-“

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” The editor couldn’t just take back what he said!

“Not my problem.” Yokozawa snapped as he shrugged on his coat, swiftly exiting the conference room. The door swung open and the raven’s heard a loud thud, followed by incoherent cursing. The salesman hesitantly peeked around the wooden barrier and jolted in surprise.

“Kirishima-san!”

“Ugh..what the hell was that for?” The alpha hissed venomously. Yokozawa felt his throat dry up from his mate’s direct anger, at _him_ …

“S-sorry…” The salesman muttered in self-disappointment.

While Kirishima massaged the injury on his forehead, he noticed to wild bear had gone eerily quiet. ‘Damn. Maybe I was too harsh.’

“Don’t worry about it, you can make it up to me by selling extra copies of Japun’s latest release.”

Yokozawa bristled, his pride urging him to accept, and stood up to the challenge.

“Fine. I’m leaving.”

“Ah, Wait up!” The alpha called after him, sitting up in a rush to chase him down. Meanwhile Kisa sat in the conference room, his head hung in his hands. How was he supposed to take back what he said?

\----

Yokozawa Takafumi has overcome many difficult hurdles in his life: growing up as a lonely, only child, being rejected by his first love from college, and the many obstacles he has faced since entering his relationship with Kirishima. However, none of those moments prepared him to be telling his male lover’s parents that they were “engaged” and that he was carrying the mans second child. The beta currently sat stiffly on the floral print couch next to Kirishima who lounged his long legs casually atop the coffee table.

“Zen! Feet off the table!” Kirishima’s mother scolded, seems like no matter how old he was, he could still be reprimanded like a child. The brunette let out a long-suffering groan as he lifted his legs up to cross them, off of the furniture. Nervous steel-gray eyes glanced around the room, taking in the various antiques and family heirlooms. The raven caught a few glimpses of family photos here and there, but he wasn’t able to tell if they were Kirishima’s distant relatives or siblings…Everyone in the pictures look so alike, they all shared the trademark Kirishima features, except there was one that Zen himself didn’t seem to inherit. A lot of the friendly faces, permanently smiling, had a light dust of freckles across their nose and rosy cheeks. The beta had been able to make out a few freckles on the alpha’s back every now and then, but they were so pale it was almost impossible to see them.

“Zen has a lot of siblings, he’s actually the youngest, our only boy out of 4 girls.” The elderly man sitting across from the duo spoke up, after seeing the beta’s wandering gaze dart about the room. It was rare to hear the man’s voice; the frail tone shocked the both of them.

“I didn’t know that.” Yokozawa remarked in astonishment, glancing back to eye the photos a bit closely.

“If you’d like to see more, we can always get the photo albums out.” Zen’s mother suggested, while she teetered over carefully with a tray balancing delicate tea cups.

“Mom, please.” The alpha pleaded, embarrassment evident on his face as he began to blush.

“What? I’m sure he’s curious.” The elderly woman teased further. This was definitely Kirishima’s family.

“We came here to talk about something.” The brunette reminded his smirking parents. Their faces morphed into neutral expressions, each reaching out for a cup that produced tiny wisps of steam.

“Alright, we’re listening.” The alpha’s mother encouraged gently while sipping from the fragile dish. The elderly man beside her did likewise, nodding in agreement.

Yokozawa began to twist the cool metal ring that rested on his finger in a fit of anxiety. Kirishima took a breath, and allowed the words he had rehearsed in his head the whole way over to roll eloquently from his silver tongue.

“Takafumi and I have taken our relationship into much consideration, and equally decided that we should hold a symbolic, small celebration of our joining.” The brunette claimed while he lifted his lover’s hand to flash their matching rings.

The elderly couple continued to sip on the hot beverage, their aged expression’s stubbornly hiding any hints of their mental state.

“And?” Zen’s mother asked expectantly, continuing her calm, wise demeanor. Her son rarely came to speak to her and his father like this, there had to be something else that was significantly more important…

‘Damn, she can still read me like a book’ The alpha thought. The words he spoke next made the raven beside him flinch,

“Takafumi is pregnant.”

A loud clatter was heard when the elderly couple simultaneously set the teacups onto the mini saucers they balanced on their lap. Both parents gaped at their son and his lover in complete shock.

“Zen, this is serious.” His father warned.

“I know that. But I’m willing to do anything with this man, he is the love of my life, and he will make a fine father to Hiyo and our child to be.” The alpha explained carefully, knowing his parents would react this way. Yokozawa fidgeted at his side, wringing his hands in his lap.

“Are you really willing to start all over? You know how difficult it was to raise Hiyo, what if you both struggle?” The alpha’s mother pressed.

Kirishima took ahold of his mate’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

“Yes, I am aware, but I’m ready to start again. And so is he.” The brunette said, smiling softly in the direction of his lover.

“Takafumi, are you prepared to raise a child, and bear that responsibility?”

Yokozawa sat up straight and looked each of his in-laws in the eyes, after being addressed directly. He couldn’t go into this with a half-hearted answer.

“Yes, I am, I will do the absolute best that I can.” The beta replied seriously, gripping the alpha’s hand tightly in return. The elderly parents spared each other a glance, agreeing with a light nod.

“Then we are very happy for you two, congratulations, I’m sure Hiyori eagerly anticipates being a big sister-assuming that you have already told her?” The woman raised a brow at her son in silent question. Kirishima nodded in response. Both elder’s wrinkles bunched up as warm smiles spread across their faces.

“Thank you for coming to discuss this with us, it shows how dedicated you are to your futures.” Kirishima’s mother finished politely.

“If you don’t mind Takafumi-kun, may I?” The elderly woman asked, gesturing to Yokozawa’s belly. The beta hesitantly nodded and sat up straight as a gentle, aged hand rested on the protruding, but carefully hidden, bump. At nearly 4 months the raven was presenting a rather smaller than average bump, which relieved him to no end. The doctor assured him it was perfectly normal, given that he was male and had more room than the average woman.

The woman’s palm moved over the surface of his shirt with a feather-like touch, until she felt what she was looking for.

“My, my that’s a feisty one!” Kirishima’s mother exclaimed merrily when a kick punched from within. A familiar smile lit the elderly couples faces, contributing to the friendly atmosphere.

“ _See, that wasn’t so hard_ ” Kirishima whispered into his lover’s ear subtlety. Yokozawa felt relief and warmth flood his chest until he was struck with a dreaded realization…

He had to tell his own parents.

\----

Yokozawa’s parents weren’t exactly cold, they were just traditional. They believed in marriage between a man and a woman that would produce grandchildren for future generations. Him being born a male had heightened their expectations to carry on the family name. However, the beta’s parents had long since given up on their son marrying and settling down after they had realized that he didn’t want that life. His parents were respectful to his wishes, at least his mother was…The raven’s father had sent him multiple marriage catalogues even after he seriously discussed with them that he wasn’t interested. It took him a while to get over it but he finally agreed with his wife that they wanted the best for their child even if it upset them.

“. _.fumi_!”

But what if Yokozawa were to contact them and tell them that he did have a family now, even if it wasn’t the perfect one, they always pictured? How would they react?

No. they would definitely be severely disappointed…

“ _Takafumi!_ ”

Yokozawa looked up upon hearing his given name, and set his chopsticks back down on the plate with a clatter.

“You’ve been sitting there zoning out with empty chopsticks at your mouth for 3 minutes. What’s with you?” Kirishima pointed at him with chopsticks of his own, flicking some rice in the raven’s direction. The beta lifted his head to meet 2 sets of worried amber eyes, gazing at him with concern.

“S-sorry I’m just tired. I think I’ll head to bed.” Yokozawa replied after he dabbed at his cheek with a napkin, pushing his unfinished plate of food towards the center of the table and sliding out of his chair to lock himself in the bedroom. Hiyo looked at her father for answers, who only looked equally puzzled. Kirishima reached over and ruffled his daughter’s hair affectionately.

“Your Onii-chan’s had a busy day, why don’t you finish your food-looks like I’m on dish duty tonight.” The alpha replied smiling softly, attempting to distract her. The youngster nodded in affirmation and turned back to her plate.

The father daughter duo didn’t eat much either after witnessing Yokozawa’s strange behavior. The both of them were equally concerned and his well-being seemed to be the only thing on their mind. Kirishima urged his daughter to eat the soggy vegetables that she picked at with distaste and tucked her in after they brushed their teeth.

The alpha quietly cleaned the plates and chopsticks they dirtied, the sound of clanking ceramic ringing through the silent apartment obnoxiously. The brunette finally withdrew his hands from the soapy dishwater, and dried each dish carefully before setting them back in their specific cupboards. His bedroom door quietly creaked open as he pushed on the frame, padding into the room softly. Yokozawa’s sleeping figure was curled up under the covers, unnaturally stiff.

The raven felt the bed dip with the added weight as his lover climbed up beside him. A gentle, warm hand rested on his shoulder, running down to rub his back soothingly as he laid on his side. Yokozawa buried his face deeper in Kirishima’s pillow, fighting to keep his face from being seen as the alpha leaned over him. Kirishima flicked the lamp off that rested on the other side of Yokozawa and settled back down. The alpha tried to get comfortable but he couldn’t settle with the right position, annoying the other occupant of the bed. When the beta was about to snap at him for being too noisy, Kirishima beat him to it,

“You’re on my side.” He huffed childishly as he scooted closer to wrap his arms around his lover’s waist.

Yokozawa didn’t want to admit that he was on his side because he liked the other’s scent, even if the alpha already knew.

“It shouldn’t matter.” The beta’s retort hinting a bit of annoyance.

“It does. There’s a divot on your side.” Kirishima pointed out knowingly in response, poking at the raven’s inky locks in the dark room. The alpha tried once again to settle down and groaned in frustration, kicking his legs petulantly.

“WILL YOU SHUT UP” Yokozawa snapped, flipping over to glare at his restless lover.

“I will, once you give me my spot back.” Kirishima sniped in return.

“No. I’m comfortable.” The beta refused, snatching the covers from the alpha’s grasp out of spite for disturbing him.

“Fine then, I’ll take it by force.” Was the only warning Yokozawa got before a strong grasp latched onto his waist, pulling him backwards to rest against the curve of his lover’s body. Without hesitation his body was hauled over as the person beneath him flipped onto his back, his arms not once releasing the grip around his hips.

“P-Put me down!” The beta shout in embarrassment as he kicked in protest.

“Hmm…no.” The smirk could be heard in Kirishima’s voice as he tilted his head upwards to lick the shell of his ear. Yokozawa flinched in surprise and dug his nails into the alpha’s arms that snugly rested against his pelvis. The alpha responded by lifting his leg underneath the beta to nudge his crotch with his thigh, while a hand daringly slid up and over the curve of his stomach to pinch at a nipple teasingly-as he growled in the other’s ear softly.

“Hnn-!!”

The raven jerked, responding to his lover’s attentions whether he liked it or not.

“E-Enough!” Yokozawa managed to bite out, and forcefully pried the alpha’s arms off of him to flip over and lay on his own side of the bed, as far from the other as possible. Kirishima sat up and rolled over to lean on top of his lover on all fours. The beta snapped his eyes open and shoved at the alpha’s shoulders.

“What now?” He hissed angrily.

“You didn’t tell me what’s wrong.” The brunette replied, caressing the beta’s cheek gently. Yokozawa slapped the hand away and attempted to push his mate back onto ‘his side’. The alpha wouldn’t budge and nuzzled closer next to the side of his head.

“Please?” Kirishima tried, he only wanted to help. The beta sighed in surrender,

“Just-…I have to tell my parents.”

“Then _we_ will.” The alpha replied, finally flopping down on his side next to his mate.

“It’s not that simple, my family isn’t like yours.”

“What do you mean?” The brunette asked curiously, after all, they’d never discussed his family before. This could only make them closer.

“They’re old fashioned. They expect me to settle down with a wife not _as_ a wife.”

Kirishima couldn’t help but chuckle at Yokozawa’s ‘wife’ comment, and earned a harsh glare.

“Well, they wanted you to have a family, right? Now you do, you have Hiyo and I.” The alpha reasoned, pointing at himself in emphasis. The raven frowned deeply, he just wasn’t getting it.

“But-“

Kirishima put a finger to his lips, effectively cutting him off.

“Takafumi, listen to me. As much as I love hearing you say that you’re my wife, I know that you are my _husband_ , and I’m not looking to change that anytime soon.” The alpha assured his lover.

“I know that. But in their eye’s, I am the wife, seeing that I’m pregnant.” The beta hissed.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Kirishima muttered bitterly.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing! I just…don’t want to disappoint them.” Yokozawa admit, clenching his fist at his sides.

“You’re still their son Takafumi, they won’t resent you.”

“You haven’t met my old man, I’m surprised we’re even on speaking terms.”

“Why?”

“He tried to push me to marry his boss’s daughter and I told him off.”

The alpha snorted, that sounds about right…

“Well being on speaking terms with the both of them will make this easier, let’s make a trip next weekend and visit them. Where do they live?” Kirishima suggested calmly.

“…Tokyo.”

“You mean to tell me that we have lived in the same city this whole time, and you haven’t taken me to meet them once?”

“It never came up.”

“Forget what I said earlier, we’re going to visit them tomorrow.”

“N-No way.”

“The longer you put this off the worse it’s gonna get.” Kirishima reminded, in a way that resembled a parent. Yokozawa sighed, knowing he was right as always.

“Ok, ok just- shut up and let me sleep.”

“Takafumi”

“What!?”

“Good night~” Kirishima whispered as he surged forward to peck his lover on, what he presumed to be, his cheek. The beta squeezed his eyes shut and fought to fight away the heat rising to his cheeks as his heart thud rapidly against his ribcage.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, hope you liked it! I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. I love and appreciate all of your wonderful feedback! <3  
> -Peachy


	18. Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm so sorry it took me longer than usual, in return I made the chapter twice as long as usual so please enjoy. I won't keep you from reading!  
> -Peachy

**Yokozawa looked around the familiar house he’d grown up in. Nothing had changed, every piece of bland décor was in the same spot, unchanged. The room was eerily silent and cold, he noted.**

**The beta looked to his side, expecting his lover to be there. The man’s absence made his throat dry and he looked back up to see his parents faces twisted in disgust as they looked down on him at his position on the couch. The aged couple turned their back to him while the raven desperately tried to reach out for his parents, but no matter how hard he tried he seemed glued to the pristine white sofa. They got further and further away, the vision of them turning into a tunnel as his surroundings began to waver. Their disappointed expressions permanently etched into his mind. The raven tried to call out to them but his voice wouldn’t surface as the world went blindingly white.**

**Suddenly the setting changed, and he was sitting at his desk chair in the sales department. Everyone around him eyed him with revulsion and muttered about him in secrecy. His subordinates started to step closer, shouting obscenities with hostility. His vision began to swim as people crowded around his desk while the hurtful words like ‘freak’ and ‘disappointment’, circled around his head. The raven tried to block out the noise with his hands, but someone pulled them back holding them in place as his co-workers around him continued to chant. Tears prickled at his eyes as the familiar faces referred to him as such awful names, Takano, Henmi, Onodera…there was too many to count. The beta started to scream and kick in place. His chair tipped back and he was falling through the floor into pitch black, the last thing he could see was Kirishima and Hiyo looking at him with the same hatred and rage as his peers-**

Yokozawa shot awake sitting up in a rush, a scream of terror dying on his lips as he panted in the dark room. The beta ran a shaky hand through his sweat damp locks, attempting to catch his breath. The sound of obnoxious snoring penetrated his ears, and he looked over at his lover who was ungracefully sprawled on his back.

It was just a bad dream…

The alpha was taking up 2/3rd’s of the mattress as he slept like the dead, a small trail of drool running down the side of his mouth. Gross.

The beta was getting ready to lay back down when he felt a wet substance beneath him. Yokozawa tore the sheet away only to find that-

Great. Just great.

He wet himself. How old was he now, 30? The raven noticed as of late, with his growing bump, the urge to relieve himself was annoyingly more frequent, he just didn’t think it would stretch this far into the night…

Yokozawa sighed in annoyance, and swung his legs over the side of the bed to shower and change. Much to his relief, the accident had only been a little bit, and hadn’t reached the bed itself. But it still didn’t stop the feeling of humiliation and disgust that welled up. The beta finally dipped back into bed after cleaning himself up and pulled the covers up to rest at his stomach.

After staring up at the ceiling blankly for a while, unintelligible grumbling began to emit from the body next him. Before he knew, it he was trapped underneath his heavy lover’s frame, as he had flipped over to rest halfway on top of the raven. A muscular arm rested against his collar bone, and a long, heavy leg snugly nestled between his own two, leaving the beta feeling secure. The soft growl beginning to escape his lover’s mouth eventually lulled him back to a restless sleep.

\----

A dramatic yawn sliced through the peaceful silence, that had previously settled about the apartment in the early hours of the morning. Yokozawa looked up from his task of frying eggs to see his lover stretching his arms over his head, while he made his way over to greet the raven. Kirishima draped his sluggish body over the ravens back to watch the contents cook and ‘pop’ in the pan.

“Good morning~”

“Hn..”

The alpha pressed a kiss to his temple and backed away from the raven to lean against the counter, eyeing him closely. He had really dark circles under his eyes, and his hair looked more disheveled than usual.

“Did you get up last night?”

Yokozawa suppressed a flinch and replied casually with,

“Yeah, to go to the bathroom, why?”

“I thought I heard screaming.” Kirishima recalled sleepily as he rubbed at his bedhead.

“Must’ve been a dream.” The beta played off coolly, but felt those amber eyes continue to burn into him.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just- you look really shaken up, is everything alright?” The alpha pressed once more.

Yokozawa only responded with a stiff nod. What was he supposed to tell him, that he got scared of a nightmare? That was just gonna welcome teasing…

“Ok…” Kirishima replied reluctantly, expression still skeptical.

“Morning.” A sleepy Hiyo emerged from her room, yawning out her greeting for the pair while she made her way to the bathroom.

“Mornin’” Her father replied in place of the busy raven.

“So, what time were you thinking?” Kirishima asked the beta as soon as the door shut behind his precious daughter.

“What?”

“Y’know…to meet your parents?” The alpha reminded slowly.

_Oh right, that…_

Yokozawa only supplied a shrug, and went to serve the finished meal evenly amongst the three empty dishes that waited on the counter.

“How about noon? Afterwards, we can go get Hiyo her matching ring.”

The beta thought for a moment and offered a nod in silent agreement. Kirishima narrowed his eyes and made a final attempt to interrogate the raven.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes! Now will you stop bugging me!?” Yokozawa snarled and slammed the pan back onto the stovetop.

The alpha looked like he was about to argue but his daughter peeked back into the room.

“Father are you teasing Onii-chan again?”

“Yes Hiyo, that’s all it was.” Yokozawa said shortly, and walked his serving of breakfast to the table.

Kirishima eyed his lover carefully, the raven staring blankly at his plate only moving his chopsticks to pick at the bland eggs.

“So Hiyo what kind of ring did you want?” The alpha asked, hoping to steer the table away from the tense atmosphere.

“What do you mean? I want the same one you guys have.” Hiyo replied innocently, not batting a lash.

Yokozawa didn’t even crack a smile like he normally would. ‘Something is definitely wrong…’ Kirishima observed.

The raven suddenly rose from the table wearing an uncomfortable grimace, before he was making a beeline for the bathroom. From behind the door they could hear the sound of the sink’s faucet turning on, following the telltale sounds of vomiting. Kirishima winced and got up from the table, grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen cabinet to fill it with water. The alpha turned to his daughter, mouthing, ‘I’m gonna go check on him’ while pointing at the door. Hiyo offered a nod, her face twisted into a bitter expression as she tried not to get sick at the table. Pity for the beta twirled in his gut as he pushed down on the handle to swing open the door with caution.

Yokozawa wheezed on the floor as the burning sensation tingled persistently in his throat. Feeling the room begin to swim the raven folded his arms to rest his head on the toilet seat while gasping for breath. His whole body flinched when his alpha’s hand was pressing on his back, while the other pulled through his raven locks soothingly, making sure to dig his nails in. The beta had nothing left to expel from his stomach and heaved over the bowl as the feeling of nausea continued to roll over him. Kirishima sat down next to him to whisper comforting words, continuing to massage at his scalp and spine. After what felt like an eternity Yokozawa lifted his dizzy head and attempted to stand up. The alpha beside him quickly snapped a hand out to pull him to his chest.

“Something’s bothering you and It’s making you sick, this isn’t healthy.” Kirishima’s deep voice reverberated through his body, urging him to confess what was on his mind.

“I-I had a bad dream.” The beta rasped in defeat. The alpha waited patiently for him to continue, rubbing his back in encouragement. That had to be one bad dream if it’s got him shaken up like this, Kirishima thought with a frown.

“M-My parents, they looked so upset with me, and I was tormented at my desk by everyone I work with… A-and I couldn’t find you anywhere, but when I did you and Hiyo looked s-so angry. I couldn’t handle it!” The raven gasped brokenly, fighting back a sob.

“That was just all of your worries that you shoulder on your own, merging together to create one giant fear. You just have to have faith in the people close to you that they won’t hurt you like that.” Kirishima assured calmly.

“But everyone always leaves me, I-I’m never good enough…This is the happiest I’ve ever been and I’m so scared I’m gonna mess everything up!” The beta cried while pawing at his mate’s clothed chest. Hearing his lover’s broken sobs fractured the alpha’s heart, as the raven buried his face impossibly close into his neck.

\----

On the other side of the door Hiyo had crept over out of concern for her dear onii-chan. What was going on?

The curious 12-year old had never heard her onii-chan cry before. She felt a painful sting lance through her heart, she wanted to help him too…

Hiyo slid down to the floor to rest her ear comfortably against the door as her father whispered soothingly. Her glimmer of hope faded that he was feeling better, when the alpha’s words only made him cry harder. Tears of sympathy began to collect in her eyes when her Onii-chan’s cries became louder.

“Everyone always leaves me, I-I’m never good enough…”

The youngster tensed up, what was he talking about? He was wrong, he was her and papa’s most important person!

When Her father seemed to have stopped talking, she jumped on her chance to help. The girl caught a glimpse of her beloved black and white cat trot up next to her to meow curiously. Hiyo got an idea and lifted the feline up to cradle him in her arms, while pushing the bathroom door open gently.

Over the sounds of heart wrenching sobs and hiccups, Kirishima heard the door next to them give way just as he was about to resort to growling softly, and looked up in confusion to see Hiyo’s face peek into the room. His daughter carried a pudgy cat in her delicate arms as droplets streaked her adorable face.

“Onii-chan?” Hiyo’s voice was barely above a whisper, the emotion in her voice raw and evident. Sorata squirmed in her grasp and jumped away to inspect his owner, meowing loudly attempting to worm his way in between the pair’s laps. Yokozawa flinched and turned away from the youngster’s voice, he didn’t want her to see him like this…he was so pathetic…

The cat’s tail tickled at the beta’s wet face persistently, urging him to reach down and stoke the purring animal. Some of the raven’s tension eased, with the familiar feeling of his pet’s glossy coat running through his hands.

Kirishima’s daughter stood in the doorway, fidgeting as fresh tears welled up. She wanted to comfort Yokozawa too, but she didn’t know how. The youngster met her father’s eyes blearily, and watched him summon her over with a subtle wave of his finger. Hiyo nodded and took a hesitant step forward, each move she made gave her the confidence to finally vault into her Onii-chan to give him a bone-crushing hug.

“Don’t say things like that about yourself onii-chan! Papa and I love you so much!” The youngster cried as she clung onto his back.

“S-sorry…” the beta apologized hoarsely, the foul taste of bile on his tongue, he’s never felt so loved…

The trio sat in each other’s comfort until the raven’s breathing evened out and he started to writhe in Hiyo and Kirishima’s grasp. The alpha reluctantly lifted his arms and his daughter did likewise, watching the beta rise to the sink and reach out for the green toothbrush. When Yokozawa spit the minty froth out of his mouth Kirishima leaned up behind him while he rinsed with water.

“We won’t go today, how about we just take Hiyo to the park or a movie” The alpha muttered soothingly as he massaged his shoulders. The beta straightened up and shot his lover a determined look.

“No. We’re going today, I have to do this.” The raven remarked seriously, folding his arms across his chest.

“You really don’t have to push yourself.” Kirishima tried again.

Yokozawa lifted a brow and glowered.

“I-“

“ _Takafumi._ ”

“Zen.”

The alpha tensed up, and reluctantly nodded in surrender with a frown. Hiyo watched the exchange between her father and onii-chan with puzzlement.

“Go where?”

Both men flinched at the soft peep, remembering that they weren’t alone. Kirishima was about to reply, when Yokozawa wordlessly stepped forward and kneeled before the 12-year old to say,

“To meet my parents.”

“Onii-chan’s parents?”

The beta nodded stiffly in response watching the youngster fluster.

“M-me too?”

“Mm” the raven hummed in agreement and stood up to gesture to the both of them, shooing the out of the room so he could freshen up.

\----

Kirishima whistled as they drove through a relatively nice neighborhood, on the outskirts of the city.

“This is where you grew up?” The alpha questioned peeking over to the raven beside him in the passenger seat.

“Eyes on the road.” The beta warned, “and yes.”

Hiyo peeked out the window, watching large houses lazily drift past as the car slowly rolled on the smooth road.

“Ah, right here.” Yokozawa remarked as he pointed at his familiar childhood home.

The car drew to a stop in front of the house, and Kirishima read the nameplate that sat on the side of the small gate and fence, surrounding the building. The small family of bears unbuckled their belts and stepped out of the vehicle, following the raven as he took a deep breath and rang the intercom. The door swung open to reveal a well-dressed couple that closely resembled the beta waiting before them. The tired looking woman with long, dark hair surged forward to pull her son into a tight hug. Her glossy locks waving behind her elegantly.

“Takafumi!” Her voice was light and soothing to the beta and he relaxed into her hug. The man that stood behind the pair looked uptight, and terse. Yokozawa who looked a lot like his mother only shared the stressed trait with his father. The man had salt and pepper hair, his eyes were a deep brown questioningly staring at the brunettes that were standing behind his wife and son, his dark brows drawn into a scowl that reflected the beta’s too well.

  
Kirishima respectively pulled his daughter to his side while he watched the family greet each other. The beta’s mother cupped her delicate hands over her son’s pale cheeks as she cooed over his features, telling him how much she missed him. The beta flushed in embarrassment and offered his mother a light smile.

Yokozawa’s father cleared his throat loudly, catching his son and wife’s attention, prompting the woman to peek over her son’s shoulder. Her soft grey eyes took in the sight of the friendly strangers that returned sheepish smiles in response.

“Mom, dad, there’s someone I’d like you to meet” The beta started as he stepped to the side, while the father daughter duo stepped forward to bow.

“This is Kirishima Zen, and his daughter Hiyori.” He introduced as they politely greeted the family of ravens.

The woman’s short heels clicked as she gracefully walked forward to inspect the equally well-dressed pair. Yokozawa didn’t let Kirishima leave the house until he pulled on a white dress-shirt and his favored khaki pants, the alpha whining that it was the weekend and that he wanted to be comfortable. Hiyori, in contrast to her father, had no problem throwing on a nice pale-pink dress along with her taupe coat, since the weather was significantly chilly.

Brown and orange leaves scattered along the woman’s feet while a light breeze blew, the loose sleeves on her crisp, white blouse flowing lightly. Her slender pale legs paired with the tight navy-blue skirt that fell just above her knee’s complimented the outfit nicely. Even without makeup she looked like a movie star…Hiyo noted in amazement.

“Nice to meet you Hiyori.” The woman greeted, her voice an elegant lullaby. A few wrinkles adorned her seemingly perfect face as she smiled, pushing the small mole that rested below her right eye upwards.

Hiyo blushed and reached a tiny hand to shake her waiting palm after watching her pale pink lips move to form words, nodding shyly in response. The youngster felt dazed in the company of the beautiful woman and watched her father offer a charming smile while he shook her hand.

“Please, come in for tea, it’s a bit chilly out here.” The woman urged in a motherly tone as she pushed lightly at the 12-year old’s back. The Kirishimas stepped into the pristine house, carefully toeing off their shoes and dressing their feet in the complimentary slippers. Yokozawa followed his mother into the kitchen to help her prepare the tea while the alpha and his daughter took a seat on the couch across from the beta’s scowling father. Kirishima glanced around the tastefully decorated house, eyes falling on the violet orchids that sat next to his lover’s college graduation pictures alongside a family portrait.

\----

“Your friend is so handsome, where did you meet him?” The beta’s mother spoke softly in the kitchen.

“Mom…” Yokozawa groaned in response.

“What? He looks like he stepped out of a magazine!” The woman ironically praised, oblivious to the mesmerizing effect she had on the Kirishima’s earlier.

“I met him at work.” The beta admit while he gently set out five ceramic, black teacups onto a hard wooden tray.

“He works in sales? He must get a lot of business with looks like that!”

“No, he’s an editor.” The raven corrected shortly.

“Manga? Why doesn’t he work as a model?” His mother asked, her face twisted into a confused expression.

“Mom.” The beta warned a second time.

The woman put up her manicured hands in innocence, wearing an apologetic expression.

“Have you ever heard of the magazine ‘Japun’?” Yokozawa asked his mother patiently.

“Hm…” she hummed in thought, her grey eyes lighting up at a specific memory.

“I’ve seen a few on the racks at the checkout lines, but it’s not a common read for my age group. Although now I know why he looks so familiar!”

Yokozawa frowned in thought trying to remember when Kirishima appeared in a magazine, and his mother reached a hand out to poke at his brow.

“Please don’t scowl like your father. I saw his picture on the front cover for a marriage interview with a an equally handsome, popular author.” His mother supplied.

Ah right, he had a copy of that somewhere…The beta fought to hide his rising blush, distracting himself by inspecting the boiling kettle.

“He’s the editor in chief of that magazine.” Yokozawa replied, hoping the steam from the water would hide his flushed face.

“Hm…but still, I think he would soar in- Hm? Takafumi, what happened?”

“Huh?”

“I blessed you with a skinny frame and you let yourself go, what happened to my thin boy…” The mother nagged lightly as she poked at his clothed stomach. The beta decided to wear the new navy-blue dress shirt beneath his favorite grey coat. Complete with a larger pair of black slacks resting against his hips.

Yokozawa bat his mother’s hands away at the ticklish sensation and cast his gaze to examine a nearby dish cabinet.

“This better not be from alcohol.” She warned sternly, threatening her son with a rare frown.

“It’s not. that’s actually…what I came here to talk about…” The beta muttered, refusing to meet his mother’s eyes.

“Ok…” The woman replied skeptically, starting to get a hunch, this was her son after all.

The kettle began to hiss and Yokozawa took the appliance off of the stove to distribute even amounts of black tea amongst the dishes. He and his mother carefully stepped back into the room, balancing the heavy tray to lay it on the coffee table.

“Hiyori, I put some sugar in yours.” The beta spoke softly as he handed the youngster her specified cup.

“Thanks!” She replied, taking the warm, fragile cup into her tiny hands to blow at the steam curling to the surface.

“So why has our dear son come to visit?” Yokozawa’s mother asked expectantly, lounging comfortably in the armchair that matched her husbands.

Yokozawa took a sip from his cup and carefully set it back down on the tray, glancing up briefly to meet his father’s scowling dark brown eyes. The beta steeled himself and faced both of his parents,

“I wanted to introduce you to my family.” He announced while gripping tightly at Kirishima’s ringed hand. His mother’s long, dark lashes fluttered as she blinked to get a closer look at the matching rings that adorned each of their hands. His father seemed to be equally unfazed, staring blankly at his son’s hand resting in the alpha’s palm. The beta continued to look straight ahead while his father’s chocolate eyes scrutinized the Kirishima’s. Both parents blinked in polite understanding, waiting for him to continue.

“Recently I-“ Yokozawa bit his tongue, trying to get the words out.

“I-“ He tried again, feeling his voice uncomfortably tickle his throat.

“Out with it son.” His father ordered gruffly.

The beta gulped and looked at his mother, who nodded in encouragement. She already knew the answer…

“I’m pregnant.” The raven muttered, wincing as the words fell off of his lips.

The room became suffocatingly stiff and quiet, making the 12-year old wriggle in her seat uncomfortably.

“Takafumi, please come with me.” His father demanded as he stood up from his seat, not bothering to turn around as he walked down the hall to the back door. The woman shot the Kirishimas a remorseful look as Yokozawa rose from his seat to wordlessly follow.

“I’m very happy for you two, my husband can just be a little stubborn sometimes.” His mother apologized to Kirishima when the man and his son were out of ear-shot, with a distant look in her eyes.

Kirishima smiled lightly, and worriedly looked in the direction his lover had went.

“They’ll be fine, how about we chat to pass the time?” The woman suggested calmly as she looked at Hiyo.

“I’m dying to know more about you two.”

Kirishima nodded and explained he grew up in a small-town further away, his parents moved from the country-side to the city when he was 10 years old. He talked about growing up with his many siblings, meeting Sakura, raising Hiyori, and finally, meeting his adorable wild bear. The beta’s mother chuckled in amusement at the mention of his nickname, claiming that he’s been teased for looking like a bear since he was in high school. Hiyori listened to her father’s life story in awe, learning more about her mother, where her father worked, and how he met her onii-chan that rainy night.

“I thought he would never get over that boy…” The mother reflected sadly as Kirishima mentioned the beta being heartbroken.

“I’m really glad he met you Kirishima-san, and you too Hiyori, he doesn’t carry that dark cloud anymore. How far along is he?”

“4 months.” The alpha replied with ease, pulling the most recent picture he had out of his coat pocket to hand it to the woman. Hiyo tugged on her father’s sleeve and whispered into his ear when he leaned down,

“What’s that?”

“That’s a picture of the baby.” Kirishima whispered back.

“Would you like to see Hiyori?” The mother asked as she passed the glossy, black & white photo to the youngster. The 12-year old inspected the photo and scrunched up her face in confusion.

“What’s wrong sweetie?”

“It looks weird.”

The adults couldn’t help but laugh in delight from her innocent reaction.

\----

The door slammed shut behind the flinching Yokozawa as he followed his father into the garden, the overcast gloom making him drowsy. The garden looked wilted and dead, probably from the cold, the beta noted. His father cleared his throat and he looked up nervously.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” The man snapped in a booming voice.

“Tell you what?” The beta sniped in return.

The man’s mouth drew to a thin line as he grimaced. He and his wife knew he was born differently, making their chances of him ever marrying a woman slim. He just couldn’t understand why he son kept everything from him.

“That you’re gay.” His father stated grimly.

“I’m not!”

Yokozawa watched his father raise a brow in disbelief, feeling his resolve wither. It was just a coincidence that his past and recent lovers were male!

“Sorry, I didn’t want you guys to be disappointed in me…” The raven admit quietly as he kicked a tiny pebble beneath his feet.

“Takafumi where is this coming from? You could never disappoint your mother or I, we are very proud of you.”

The beta grit his teeth,

“Just who was it that pushed me to marry a woman?”

The man bristled and his chocolate eyes darkened further.

“We wanted you to be happy. You were chasing after that foolish man and we saw what it was doing to you.”

Yokozawa’s shoulders slumped in defeat, not appreciating the way his father referred to his friend, but decided to drop it,

“You mean you’re not upset about…?” The beta asked gesturing to himself, not wanting to utter the word ‘pregnant’ again.

“Of course not! We just wanted you to have a family Takafumi.” His father reassured as he reached out to ruffle his hair. Yokozawa blushed and pulled his father into a light hug.

“Thanks dad.”

The man tensed up, not used to his son’s affection, patting his back awkwardly.

\----

“Takafumi has always been so sweet, between me and my husband’s busy schedules, he always found time to show how caring he could be. Once, when I was home sick, he picked me flowers from our garden and he brought me breakfast in bed!”

Kirishima chuckled as his lover’s mom reminisced over the memory fondly.

“What did I do to deserve such an angelic son.” She sighed.

The alpha looked around the room, noticing the rather pricey layout, and modern décor for the umpteenth time.

“Might I ask what you and your husband do?” he inquired while setting down his now empty tea-cup.

“Hm, well my husband is a salesman and I’m a real-estate agent/part-time interior designer.” The woman remarked in thought. Kirishima nodded about to ask another question, when a nearby door clicked open. All occupants of the room perked up and peered curiously towards the hallway, watching a raven pair emerge from behind the clean, white walls.

“Did you two have a nice chat?” The woman bravely asked, giving her husband a warning look.

Both men nodded in agreement and took their previous seats.

“Just in time too. Kirishima-san was just about to ask something, go ahead dear.” Yokozawa’s mother urged.

“We wanted to invite the two of you to dinner.” Kirishima replied calmly while ignoring the elbow jabbing at his side, looking between his lover’s parents. A pair of grey eyes sparkled,

“We’d be delighted!” The woman answered instantly, grabbing onto her husband’s arm.

“ _Right_?” she turned to look at her partner expectantly, receiving a light nod in response.

“Would this evening work?” The brunette asked the pair directly, getting a final kick in the shin from his lover.

“Of course!”

“Great, I’ll leave you with our address.” Kirishima responded, picking up the small notepad and pen that the woman handed him.

“Why did you invite them over!” Yokozawa hissed as the front door shut behind them, Hiyo skipping down the small set of steps.

“It was a nice gesture, besides, we showed up without any warning.” His mate reminded.

The beta held his tongue and slid into the passenger seat, this was going to be a long day…

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will come out very soon! As always thank you so, so much for reading! Your feedback always serves to inspire me so thank you! Love you guys and see you soon.  
> -Peachy


	19. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back, sorry it took me awhile! I've been busier than expected, some highlights for this chapter: I finally decided to name Yokozawa's parents, and I plan to do the same with Kirishima's later on, I just think that it's important to include their families with the story and referring to them as parents a million times was getting old so something had to be done. Also I don't know anything about Japanese culture so if I get any titles wrong I'm very sorry! Thank you for reading and I hope to see you all soon.  
> ~Peachy

“Onii-chan, can I help with dinner?” The youngster piped up from the backseat on the ride back, a lazy, rainy, drizzle beginning to paint the windows.

“Sure, but we need to stop at the store first.” Yokozawa replied, watching the gloomy haze settle over the city.

“What should we make?”

“M’not sure yet…” The beta trailed off drowsily.

Kirishima glanced over briefly, watching his mate nod off and smiled warmly at his daughter through the rear-view mirror, who was also blinking blearily while her head lolled to the side.

\----

“Onii-chan~”

“Hm?”

“We’re here!”

The raven sat up dazedly as he took in his surroundings noting that it was still raining lightly outside of the parked car, when had he fallen asleep? Kirishima beside him snickered and stepped out of the vehicle to walk around and open the beta’s door for him. Yokozawa smacked the hand away that was offered to him and stubbornly stumbled out of the car, shaking his head to wake himself up.

The trio shuffled through the doors that led to the market, dinging a small bell above their heads. Kirishima wandered off to entertain himself, while the self-proclaimed chefs weaved their way through the aisles to pick out various ingredients.

“Yokozawa.”

“Huh?”

The beta looked up upon hearing his name called by his lover, only to see him holding an item from the freezer. Kirishima waved the pint of vanilla ice-cream temptingly with a smug grin, making Yokozawa scowl as his stomach growled.

“Put a few in the basket.” The raven ordered gruffly, turning back to inspect the spice selection on the shelves. He still had the unusual craving for any type of ice-cream late at night, the sight of the frozen dessert only aggravating his empty stomach.

“Yessir~” The alpha sang as he allowed the container to roll out of his hands into their small carrier, retreating to grab two more. As Kirishima left, Hiyo skipped up beside the raven to show him her own assortment of items for approval. Yokozawa nodded in agreement and lifted up the basket to hand it to the youngster.

“Eh? Why do we need ice-cream?” The 12-year old asked the raven after examining the carrier.

“It’s for me.” Kirishima lied casually as he drew to a eerily-timed stop behind the pair, cradling a couple more different flavored frozen treats.

“Father that’s so unhealthy!” The youngster chastised, moving a hand to lean on her hip in disapproval. The alpha only shrugged, and dumped the ice-cream into the cumbersome basket that was resting in the crease of his daughter’s elbow.

“Yeah, but I’m an adult.” Kirishima smirked at the pouting Hiyo while he played the unfair age card. Yokozawa, standing beside them, rolled his eyes at his mate’s immaturity.

“Hmph!” She only turned on her heel and walked off towards the check-out line while the adults followed. Both of them watched the youngster struggle momentarily to stubbornly haul the carrier forward without asking for help.

“You owe me one.” The alpha knowingly whispered in his lover’s ear, keeping his voice low enough for no one to listen in. The raven flinched and responded with a glare, busying himself with helping Hiyo line up the items on the belt.

\----

Rain began to patter harder against the windows, leaving behind a soothing white noise while Kirishima eyed a half-done manuscript. The sounds of chopping and sizzling bled over the sounds of the shower outside, lulling him into an atmosphere of domestic bliss. He could pick up light chatter between his lover and daughter in the kitchen as they fussed over their dinner project. Finding it impossible to work on the stressful paper, the alpha rose from his seat to tease his grumpy bear.

“What’s cookin’ good-lookin’?” Kirishima asked nosily as he walked up behind his lover, brushing playfully up against his back. The beta blushed and whipped around to push him away, even if Hiyo knew the nature of their relationship, it was still embarrassing to be openly affectionate in front of her.

“Out.” Yokozawa demanded, ignoring his mate’s comment.

“I’m not touching anything.” The alpha childishly retorted, putting his arms up in defense.

“I don’t care, I can’t afford you messing anything up. Now go get some work done!” The beta urged, shoving his lover out of the kitchen. Kirishima slumped his shoulders and trudged back over to the living room, hearing a stinging ‘seriously, so immature father’ from his 12-year old daughter before flopping gracelessly onto the couch. Amber eyes lazily watched the drops streak down the window in elegant streams. A ding at the intercom snapped him from his trance, sitting up in a rush to meet their visitors.

Yokozawa leaned around the corner to check the clock and hissed a curse. He wasn’t done yet!

“Welcome!” The alpha greeted the elderly…’uhh how old were they?’ couple outside of his door, a sopping wet, red umbrella grasped tightly in Yokozawa’s father’s hand dripping persistently.

“Oh, let me take that.” Kirishima offered as he stepped aside to allow their guests in.

The pair hobbled past him, taking off their wet shoes to wear the cozy slippers waiting at the door and removing their sodden coats.

“Ah~ thank goodness, my feet were so cold!” Yokozawa’s mother sighed in relief as she toed on the dry shoes, traipsing forward to inspect the rest of the apartment, her husband following close behind. The couple hummed in approval as they took in their new environment.

“It’s so homey, smells so nice in here!” The woman praised, taking a casual seat on the long green couch.

“Ah, thanks.” Kirishima mumbled sheepishly at her compliment, he wasn’t very used to having people to impress at his place.

“Why are you so early?” Yokozawa demanded as he stepped out of the kitchen behind them, dusting his hands on his cartoon, bear-themed apron.

“Aww~ what a cute apron Takafumi! Did you buy it for yourself?” His mother snickered amusedly, dodging her son’s question

The beta blushed up to his ears and frowned, looking over at his father who was also failing to stifle his laughter.

“You guys are the worst! This was a gift!” the raven snapped as his parents mocked him.

‘I think we’re gonna get along really well’ the alpha mused to himself as he watched his flustered lover get teased by his own family.

“That’s no way to treat your elders, we decided to come earlier in case the storm got worse.” The woman answered pointing a long, manicured nail at the window perceptively.

Sorata deemed it was time to make his entrance, meowing quizzically as he inspected the newcomers. Kirishima didn’t miss the spark of excitement that lit in his father in-law’s chestnut eyes at the sight of the familiar feline trotting towards him. Yokozawa watched his beloved pet hop onto his father’s lap, purring for attention. The man didn’t hesitate to stroke the cat lovingly as it settled on his thighs.

“Onii-chan! I need your help!”

“How sweet! She calls you onii-chan~” The woman cooed to her son as he rushed into the kitchen to assist the youngster. Kirishima smirked, and fondly watched his bears bustle about the room to serve everyone’s food.

\----

“Hm…Looks like the downpour’s picking up…” Yokozawa’s mother noted aloud, glancing over at the window from the dining table. Everyone peeked up to gaze out the translucent glass, as heavier drops began to splatter against the panes, leaving jagged trails behind.

“If the trains shut down, we always have a guest room.” Kirishima suggested to the couple who nodded in agreement.

“Please stay the night Onii- Er…what should I call you?” Hiyo stopped herself awkwardly.

“Oh my! We got so caught up with our chat yesterday we never introduced ourselves dear!” The woman replied, tugging at her husband’s arm, who continued to shovel udon noodles into his mouth.

“I’m Yokozawa Narumi, and this gentleman’s name here is Kioshi.” Yokozawa’s mother explained, gesturing to herself and her husband.

“You can refer to me as whatever you’d like, the same goes for him.” The woman told the youngster, poking at the quiet raven’s cheek beside her.

“Then can I call you baachan and Jiichan?” The youngster innocently asked, looking between the pair.

Narumi seemed to attempt to stifle the joyful tears prickling at her eyes, and put a hand up to cover her uncharacteristic blush, while Kioshi did likewise.

“Of course, Hiyo-chan.” Her reply muffled from beneath her hand as a single drop slid down her cheek. Both of Yokozawa’s parents had prepared long ago for the day that their son having a family would never come, hearing such a sweet child referring to them as grandparents was too much for their aged hearts. The beta, of course, felt guilty making his parents feel this way, knowing he was their only child. But it seemed they were going to have no problems adjusting to having a grandchild, and expecting a second…

As dinner stretched into the evening, the rainstorm started to produce heavier showers, following booming strikes of thunder. All train routes had been cancelled for the evening for safety precautions, leaving the elderly Yokozawas to prolong their stay. Their son introduced them to the room they’d retire to, _his old room_ , after he had finished clearing the remnants of their family meal.

Yokozawa sighed as he was finally able to wrestle himself into his (Kirishima’s) lounge clothes, dragging his sluggish body to the bed at the center of the room. The beta crawled under the duvet beside his lover, the flash of lightning outlining his relaxed form momentarily. A loud crackle of thunder shook the walls as Yokozawa settled his head on the alpha’s chest. Kirishima didn’t mind his rare affection in the least and grinned in the dark sleepily, bringing up an arm to curl around his shoulder and card through ebony tresses.

“You still owe me…” The alpha reminded, over the sound of another strike of thunder.

“Hmm” The raven hummed sleepily in response.

“I’ll settle for a goodnight kiss.”

A loud groan rumbled at his chest as Yokozawa heaved himself up to comply and press a soft kiss on his cheek.

“On the lips.” Kirishima urged, tapping at his mouth invitingly.

“Don’t push it…” The beta mumbled, underlying anger evident in his tone; nevertheless, leaning up to grace the alpha with a light peck anyways.

Just as the pair had settled down, a blinding flash lit the room and an echoing rumble shook the sky. Seconds later their door creaked open after a hesitant knock, the silhouette briefly lit by a sharp strand of lightning to reveal a frightened Hiyori cradling her darling cat who’s eyes glowed eerily.

“What’s wrong sweetie?” Kirishima murmured softly, feeling Yokozawa rustle away from him hurriedly as the youngster creeped closer, leaving the alpha to silently mourn the fleeting body-heat.

“I’m scared.” A trembling voice replied, while the owner shivered at another roaring boom.

Kirishima chuckled and pat the bed space between him and his lover, urging her to scooch in. Hiyo looked like she was about to argue, but an additional crash of thunder made her squeak in fright, and she leaped into the vacant spot without protest. Sorata wiggled from her grasp and trampled over his raven-haired owner to settle between his and Hiyo’s heads.

“Pfft-“The cats fur tickled at the beta’s nose and mouth, triggering him to try to blow away the sensation. The youngster nestled in the center of the mattress filled the previously empty gap warmly while she dozed off, listening to her father’s soothing snores that ended with low growls. Kirishima had curled up on his side to face his daughter, while Hiyo coiled up to face away from him and instead settle in front of the beta. Yokozawa felt his lover’s fingers that reached his sides tickle at his blanket covered hips while the alpha had draped an arm protectively over his daughter. Hiyo had done likewise to the raven next to her, who slept on his back, a tiny arm hung lightly over his abdomen.

This was how Yokozawa’s parents had found them in the morning, finding the house eerily silent, they had peeped in to check if the trio had already left, however, they quickly discovered this was not the case. The beta’s face was relaxed in a content, sleepy smile, surrounded by his odd family; tempting his mother to hiss at her husband to snap a picture. The man complied and the couple left the room as if nothing happened, getting ready for the day.

\----

Amber eyes blinked open to reveal his own daughters adorable sleeping face, paired with the raven who she practically clung to. Such a shame his phone was so far away…The alpha was reluctant to get up and risk waking the pair, instead he opted for savoring the sight, binding it to memory. Kirishima was about to allow the occupants shallow breaths soothe him back to a blissful slumber until a familiar smell wafted into the room…

‘Smells like Yokozawa’s cooking…but wait- he’s right next to me.’ The alpha thought to himself, now wide awake. Kirishima nimbly slid out of the covers to pad over to open his bedroom door, opening it a crack to hear a motherly voice humming softly while the owner skillfully stirred a delicious concoction in a frying pan.

“Oh! Good morning sunshine~” The woman turned around to face the alpha who stood in front of his, now shut, bedroom door. Sorata slipped through the door just in time to trot towards his newest favored raven, Kioshi, who sat quietly at the dining table as he nursed a steaming cup of tea. The man was gazing out the window serenely, Kirishima may have not lived in a ‘high-class’ apartment, but the view of the city was still nice and he seemed to be enjoying the still overcast, comforting weather. Frosty-grey hair swished lightly as chestnut eyes flicked down to inspect what had brushed against his clothed legs.

“Morning” Kirishima replied, drowsily scratching at his mop of hair. He was fighting to remind his foggy brain that this was not Yokozawa who turned into a woman overnight, but the man’s mother. They looked so alike it was scary… The brunette turned to freshen up in the bathroom, hoping to clear up the muddy haze settled over his mind.

After he turned off the tap and pat down his face with a small towel, the alpha heard the door next to him ease open while his lover shuffled through the small space in front of the sink clutching a plush towel to step into the shower. Kirishima decided to bless him with privacy for once and only snuck _one_ peek at his exposed, swollen tummy before he shut the barrier behind him. He looked up to see his daughter chatting animatedly with Narumi at the table, swinging her legs while she happily munched on her traditional Japanese breakfast. The woman’s face crinkled and her barely visible wrinkles surfaced, when she offered a kind smile and encouraging nod as the youngster blabbered on.

Kirishima was so glad his daughter openly accepted any Yokozawa she met, he really raised her well…over his self-reflecting and pride he felt for his child, a friendly voice broke him from his thoughts.

“Why don’t you grab something to eat dear, I made enough for everyone.” The woman enthused, her sparkling grey eyes dancing with happiness.

“It’s sooo good papa! Just like Onii-chan’s cooking.” The 12-year old praised after another gulp, forgetting all about the embarrassing nickname that slipped out.

“Don’t mind if I do then.” The alpha replied, now in high spirits, stepping into the kitchen to serve himself.

\----

“You have to go already? Please promise that you’ll come back!” The youngster whined as the raven couple stood in the entryway, saying their goodbyes.

“They have to go to work Hiyo.” Kirishima reminded.

“We’ll come to visit you during the holidays, I’m looking forward to meeting your folks Zen.” Narumi replied, lifting a delicate hand to smother her light, angelic laughter at the 12-year old’s cuteness. Kirishima nodded, trying to get accustomed to the casual use of his name.

“Take care you guys!” The woman waved in farewell, her black heels clicking soundly as she stepped out of the genkan.

“Takafumi please do call us once in a while.” His father’s voice urged curtly while following after his wife.

The door shut behind the pair, finally leaving the bears in just each other’s company. Yokozawa couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh. He loved his parents dearly, but their company in the house had wracked his nerves, making him self-conscious of every move he made.

“I’ve gotta get ready for school!” Hiyo gasped in realization after glancing at the hall clock, dashing off to the bathroom in a hurry.

“Takafumi?”

“Huh?”

“Call me by my name.” The alpha challenged teasingly.

“No.” Yokozawa deadpanned and clicked his tongue, stomping away while fanning at his flushed face.

“C’mon! What’s the problem, your parents don’t have any trouble?” Kirishima whined, chasing after the fleeing raven.

“It’s embarrassing as hell!” The beta argued, finding nowhere left to run as his mate lured him closer and closer into a corner. Yokozawa gulped when he was backed into the wall as his mate pressed his hands on either side of his head, trapping him.

“Move dammit!”

Kirishima grunted at the harsh shove against his chest and chuckled merrily,

“Say my name.” The alpha demanded once more, a smirk creeping into his expression.

“Fine! _Zen_ are you happy?” Yokozawa finally relented, keeping any sort of cheesy tone from leaking into his voice, pasting on a bland expression as the demanded syllable rolled off of his tongue.

“Nope, try saying it cutely.”

The beta openly gaped in rage and shock with Kirishima’s immediate, dissatisfied answer.

“I don’t understand you at all.” Yokozawa growled and kicked at his lover’s shin, who flinched reflexively, allowing a small gap for him to escape. The raven struggled out of the alpha’s grasp and made a break for the kitchen to clean up dishes from their morning meal.

“Nowhere to run~” The irritating brunette leered as he followed his lover into the kitchen.

“What do you want now?” Yokozawa sighed in exasperation, elbow deep in murky dishwater.

“I actually have a question, if you’re willing to answer it…” Kirishima trailed off, leaning against the counter-top.

“how about you make yourself useful and help, while I _think_ about answering it?”

“Alright~”

Kirishima had just dried the last dish, placing it in the cabinet while his lover pulled the stopper from the drain. Loud gurgling sounds filled the apartment as the dirty water spiraled slowly down the drain, and the raven turned the tap on to rinse off his arms and hands.

“Now, what were you gonna ask me?” Yokozawa asked reluctantly, Hiyo had left for school 10 minutes ago, so they should be safe in case the idiot decided to be a pervert.

“How old are your parents?” Kirishima questioned without hesitation, he had almost forgot what he wanted to ask in the first place.

“Huh?” Was the only thing that spilled from the raven’s lips, as he shot his lover a bewildered expression.

“Oh? Were you expecting something naughty? I’m sure that can be arranged~” The alpha smirked playfully, leaning closer to whisper the last part in the beta’s blushing ear.

“No way.” Yokozawa snapped in denial, in truth he had prepared himself for another stupid request to smoothly roll off of his silver tongue, but there was no way in hell he was going to admit that.

“Well? I’m waiting…” Kirishima reminded. The beta shot him a glare and supplied him with a set of unexpected numbers.

“My mom’s 60, and my dad’s 63.”

“HUH?!”

“What?” Yokozawa asked in slight shock.

“But they look so young! Oh god I look so _old_ compared to them!” The alpha whined, bringing up a hand to self-consciously cover the wrinkles peeking at his eyes. The beta snickered as his usually confident mate’s composure crumbled, leaving behind the flawed, raw personality he fell in love with.

“Snap it up _old man_ , you’re gonna be late for work.” Yokozawa smirked at his flustered lover. Kirishima shot him an offended glare and rushed to take a shower after glancing over at the small, digital clock on the oven.

\----

Katou glanced up at the sulking editor in chief, who had his head ducked low against his desk.

“Kirishima-san is something wrong?” The subordinate bravely asked his ghastly boss.

The alpha’s head slowly rose and his cold, dull amber eyes met his own, making him flinch in regret.

“Katou…do you think I’m old?” Kirishima questioned, a hopeful glint in his eyes. ‘What kind of question is that?’ the editor thought to himself.

“Eh…um no…?”

“What’s with that hesitation!?” The brunette quickly jumped at his subordinate, gripping at his shoulders to shake an answer out of him.

\----

Light buzzing against the dining table snapped the beta out of his trance. He was currently reviewing their recent sale reports that Henmi had faxed to him that morning, since he had just started his leave this week. Yokozawa lifted up his lively cell, curiously peeking at the caller ID, seeing that it was from Marukawa’s office, he answered quickly.

“Yokozawa speaking.”

“Yokozawa-san where are you!? Kirishima-san is going crazy!”

“What?”

“He started shaking Katou after he asked him a question! How do we calm him down?”

“Why the hell are you asking me?!”

“Because you’re the only one that knows him well besides Ijuin-sensei and he’s not picking up!”

Yokozawa sighed in annoyance,

“Hang on, I’ll be right there.” And with that the call ended, leaving Kirishima’s poor editors to fend themselves.

\----

“Kirishima-san, _please_ , we really need your help with this proofing!” One of his loyal editors begged for the umpteenth time. The alpha’s head only sunk lower into his arms as a long-suffering groan slipped out.

“Kirishima-san!”

Honey-almond waves tussled as his head shot up to lock eyes with the owner of that familiar voice.

“Yokozawa-san thank goodness! He won’t respond to any of us and we have an important deadline due by the end of the night!” Katou babbled in relief as the wild bear stormed forward. Everyone’s eyes landed on the mated pair, when Yokozawa fisted his hands tightly in his lover’s locks and yanked him upwards. While they were shocked by how he was treating their dear boss, their gazes couldn’t help but focus on the beta’s choice of dress. The normally suit-clad, uptight salesman was wearing a baggy pullover and distressed, black jeans. The alpha winced and hissed in pain, standing up to bat his hands away.

“Come with me.” The raven ordered as he stalked out of the room.

Kirishima reluctantly followed after him into the nearest, empty conference room, knowing he was in for an earful.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” The beta snapped, folding his arms firmly as the door slammed shut behind them. Kirishima only shrugged, serving to further irritate the short-tempered raven.

“Is this about this morning?”

The alpha avert his gaze and studied the old, coffee stained carpet beneath his feet. The stale air in the conference room was nearly suffocating when paired with his lover’s seething anger. Yokozawa sharply picked up on the alpha’s brief hint of a ‘maybe’ when he turned further away from him and raised a brow. He never looked him in the eyes when he was keeping something from him, it was so damn annoying!

“Answer me you idiot.” The raven demanded, taking a threatening step forward.

“I’m an old man, even my subordinates think so!” The alpha wailed dramatically, his resistance crumbling as he finally met his lover’s stormy grey eyes.

“No, you’re not.” Yokozawa barely stifled a laugh stepping closer to poke at the older man’s eye wrinkles.

“ _These_ just show how hard you work for your department and your daughter, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. My family just has a good skin gene that’s all.” Yokozawa explained, before adding,

“Besides if you’re calling yourself old, then I’m not that far behind either, I am only a few years younger than you, you know.”

Kirishima relaxed and finally, the familiar smirk that was beginning to grow on the raven, began to surface. The light, sparse grey hairs that were beginning to surface in his almond curls, were no longer a concern with his adorable bear comforting him.

“You promise to grow old and grey together?”

Yokozawa snorted at this, brushing off his embarrassing comment, and pulled something out of his pocket,

“The hell are you saying? Oh, I brought you something that might be useful.”

The alpha put out his hands impatiently, only to have his hardly used glasses case placed in his hands. Kirishima frowned, he was expecting a bento… ‘oh well.’

“What’s that face for? Hiyo can’t have her father going blind at the age of 40, those manuscripts are gonna strain your eyes you know.”

The brunette grinned, and his amber eyes shined with amusement. ‘He really does care about me…’

“I can always rely on you to take care of me if that happens.”

“Sure, whatever, now go get some work done.” The beta muttered, pushing at his shoulder lightly.

“Takafumi.”

“What-“

The raven’s response was muffled by the figure that enveloped him in a loving embrace. Yokozawa’s face immediately flushed deep red, and he scrambled to pull himself from the alpha’s strong grip-when the man leaned his head into the crook of his neck to inhale near his scent gland…

“Let go! We’re at the office!” The raven spat, and continued to thump his fist against the alpha’s back in protest.

“Alright, alright~” Kirishima relented, releasing the beta and surging forward to give him a departing peck him on the cheek. Yokozawa fumed with mortification as the brunette made his escape before he could retaliate, standing stock still until he was able to gather himself and briskly exit the building.

The beta opened his umbrella to make his trek back to the trains, hoping that the cool, light drizzle around him would cool his glowing face.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know if I stray too far from the plot because that does tend to happen with me, lol I'm very scatter-brained! See you soon with a new and cozy chapter, love you guys! <3  
> ~Peachy


	20. Honeymoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM ALIVE
> 
> Im so so sorry I was gone so long! I've been sick with a cold and I have been busy with work and school. Happy late Valentines day, I really wanted to get this chapter out sooner. And for those of you who worry that I might abandon this fic I promise I wont without any notice, not that I plan to! So thank you for waiting patiently I really appreciate it <3
> 
> For those of you who want to know the songs I used for this chapter, the first one is 
> 
> Kiss on my list, by Hall & Oates
> 
> 2.
> 
> All 4 love, by color me baad
> 
> Please enjoy the chapter!
> 
> ~Peachy

Tendrils of warm breath blew around bouncy almond waves, as Kirishima walked up the hill towards his apartment. Snow was beginning to fall already, feather-like, white flakes tickling at his face and hair, the chilly December wind blowing around him forced his hands deeper into his warm coat-pockets.

The alpha jogged up the steps that led to the lobby, pulling out a frost-chilled hand to press a smooth button reading his floor number. The brunette felt his weight leave momentarily as the lift vaulted upward, dinging when it reached his floor. He was looking forward to a peaceful night alone with his lover, deadlines lately had been driving him to bed every night, the second he stepped through the door. Hiyori and Yokozawa were both disappointed, but neither said anything, knowing how hard he worked. Kirishima had just given his daughter the go-ahead to spend the weekend with her friend Yuki-chan over the phone, she had been reluctant to go at first, wanting to spend time with her busy father-but he assured her that it was fine and that ‘onii-chan would keep him company’.

The alpha turned the silver key in the lock, and stepped into the dimly lit apartment. A sigh of exhaustion left his lips as he sauntered in, only to be met with an empty room. Seems like he was asleep, it _was_ after 11 pm... ‘Oh well there’s always tomorrow’ He mused to himself. A wrapped meal on the table caught his eye and Kirishima trudged forward to be met with a hearty dish his lover had cooked him. The brunette felt his heart swell and he plopped down in the chair to eat his leftovers. Anything the guy cooked was delicious, but he enjoyed it more when he was sitting across from him.

Kirishima scarfed down his dinner and set his now-clean dishes on the drying rack, dragging himself to the bedroom where his lover most likely laid. The alpha stopped at the foot of the door, noticing faint light bleeding through the crack. Weird.

The door squeaked open and the alpha was met with a strong whiff of his scent mingling with that of his grumpy mate’s. The bed-side lamp was still on, allowing him to see into the room softly lit room. Of all of the things the alpha would’ve expected coming home to on a Friday night, this was certainly not one of them…

A large heap consisting of _his_ clothes, blankets and pillows was erected a little to the left where the brunette’s ‘side’ of the mattress was. Kirishima had heard of nesting, but he thought that was an omega thing…Maybe this was common in pregnancy?

He carefully snuck forward to peek over the pillow fortress, catching sight of his 5 months pregnant lover curled up in a ball, surrounded by the various linens. The beta was snoring lightly, breathing in one of the alpha’s shirts while he dozed off. How cute~

Kirishima shrugged off his work clothes to get into something more comfortable, lithely peeling a mesh wall of fabric away that fenced his raven in to nuzzle his face into his neck. Yokozawa jerked awake and blushed, noting the warm body behind him as the owner of the scent around him.

‘He’s home already… _What time is it?!_ ’ He was only supposed to take a short nap and clean up this mess before he returned! The raven was mortified and feigned a sleeping conscious hoping to avoid a humiliating teasing session. The alpha however, was sharper and flipped him over, noticing that he had tensed up and his heart started thudding rapidly. The beta’s hands flew up to shield his face from view and Kirishima pried them away with a grin.

“What’s wrong, miss me?” Amber eyes glinted in the dark as he pestered his shy lover beneath him.

“As if!” Yokozawa’s retort was in vain, the alpha already able to see right through him.

“Then what’s with the mess?” Kirishima asked, lifting a smug brow, he knew he’d won.

The raven wracked his brain for an excuse, maybe he could say he was in the middle of laundry, but he knew it was already a lost cause…

Yokozawa sighed and sunk deeper into the mattress, evading those scathing honey eyes. The brunette chuckled and proceeded to curl up behind him, lifting a bold hand to slip underneath his shirt and massage his belly. The beta huffed in annoyance, and felt a kick in response to the sensations rubbing over his skin.

“Great. Now it won’t stop.” Yokozawa snapped, accidentally inhaling his alpha’s overwhelming, soothing scent when trying to force ‘it’ off of his tongue. It somehow felt wrong referring to his unborn child like that.

“Sorry…” Kirishima murmured nonchalantly and inhaled through his inky locks, continuing to rub his hand in circular motions, forcing the raven to suppress a shudder. Eventually the life inside of him calmed down, allowing the beta to drift off in the secure comfort of his lover’s embrace.

“That reminds me…” The alpha drawled sleepily, his deep, lethargic-heavy voice breaking the peaceful silence. Yokozawa cracked his eyes open in annoyance from being woken up, waiting for him to finish.

“We don’t have a name for the little bear yet.”

The beta gave it some hazy thought and he was right, they didn’t even discuss it. The raven settled with a hum, too tired to form words, the surrounding warmth beginning to tempt him into a deep slumber. However, so tired was he, Kirishima insisted on talking, and his hearing senses were still functional enough to listen distantly.

“How about ‘Kuma’?”

This caught Yokozawa’s attention and he immediately bristled.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not naming my child after a _bear_ Zen.”

“It’s cute!”

“I said. _No_.”

“Fine, then can we at least call them that for now?” The alpha bargained childishly, hoping that it would grow on him in the next 4 months.

“Whatever, just shut up or else you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“Yessir~”

\----

“Remind me again why you _had_ to wake me up at the ass-crack of dawn on the _weekend.”_ The irritated beta hissed over the roar of the engine coming to life as the alpha beside him energetically buckled his seatbelt.

“To go on a date.” Kirishima replied vaguely, the protective strip sculpting against has casually clothed chest nicely making the raven gulp in agitation.

“And it couldn’t wait until later?” Yokozawa argued, his brow beginning to twitch as the car started to move backward.

“Nope.” The alpha replied merrily, throwing his arm around the beta’s seat to turn around and look behind him as he backed out of the parking space.

“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” The beta retorted, tapping his index finger persistently on his knee.

“Well then it wouldn’t be a surprise!” Kirishima remarked slyly, flipping the car into drive as they rolled out of the garage.

“Why do I even try!” the raven grumbled as his lover ignored him, humming a cheerful tune.

\----

Yokozawa watched tall pine trees whiz past the glass as they climbed up the mountain, the winding roads beginning to make him sick. They’d been in the car for nearly two hours and the beta was starting to get antsy. Meanwhile Kirishima was trying to keep him occupied, annoying him with singing cheesy love songs off-tune and playing I-Spy.

**“ ~Because your kiss, your kiss, is on my list~ ”**

**“ ~, of the best things in li---ife~ “**

The raven was starting to lose the little patience he woke up with when his lover ripped the blankets off of his sleep heavy body early that morning. His alpha’s voice was certainly not helping! The sun was still trying to peek through the foggy clouds, but the overcast weather persisted, threatening another light flurry of snow.

**“ ~Because your kiss is what I miss~ “**

**“ ~,when I turn out the li------igh—t~** “ Kirishima gasped for breath as he tried to hold that last note, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

The beta was trying to focus on anything other than the blurred snowy forest or the twisty road, but to no avail his stomach continued to twirl with queasiness. Yokozawa reached up to grip the side door handle, feeling faint from the altitude and lowered his head in an attempt to keep his brain from swimming. An upbeat tune began to play on the radio after the previous song ended and his lover shouted in excitement,

“Ohh! This one’s a good one! You have to know this one, c’mon it’s your turn!”

The raven lifted his head weakly to glare at the alpha who glimpsed smugly in his direction,

“Fine then I’ll guide you~”

And with that the brunette was singing again…

“How much longer?” The beta griped wearily.

Kirishima’s amber eyes didn’t budge, and he continued on with his melodic tone.

**“ ~I wanna hold your hand,~ “**

**“ ~to show you I’ll be there~ “**

  
“Oi, Kirishima-san!”

**“ ~I will never leave you _sugar_ , this I guarantee~ “**

**“ ~I look into the future, I see you and me~ “**

“Who the _fuck_ are you calling sugar!”

The alpha’s shoulders shook as he laughed light-heartedly, eyes crinkling at the corners with mirth as he stared straight ahead.

“Lighten up a bit, we’re almost there!”

“You’ve been saying that for the past two hours. Pull over, I’m starting to feel sick.” The raven snapped gruffly, pointing at the empty shoulder up ahead. Kirishima shrugged and slowed to a stop off the road to a scenic overlook. The hazy gloom settling over the mountains fogged up a clear view of the snow-covered peaks, but nevertheless made quite a sight. The alpha whistled at the scenery and kicked a loose pebble around. Kirishima perked up when he caught his lover stretching his limbs in his peripheral and seized his chance.

“Need some help?”

Yokozawa froze up when his lover’s arms wrapped around his torso suggestively in the middle of attempting to reach for his toes (as best he could, being pregnant), and he tried to worm out of his grasp.

“You know you need to stretch your legs too~” and with that Kirishima was forcing his upper half downwards, pressing his hips tightly against his backside.

“OI! Where the hell do you think we are!?” The beta snapped, finally able to pry his way out of the man’s strong grip.

“You’re such a wet blanket.” Kirishima sighed petulantly and trudged back to the car.

\----

When Yokozawa’s feet were finally able to touch the loose gravel at their destination, he had no idea where the hell he was; but he knew one thing for sure, he never wanted to hear Kirishima sing ever again…

“Snap it up, we gotta check in.” A smug alpha urged from the back-end of the vehicle. He was pulling their suitcases out of the trunk, and Yokozawa was starting to doubt his half-conscious packing skills as he picked up his significantly light luggage. The beta glanced up to read the sign hanging above the inn that was resting at the near-top of the mountain.

_So, he took him to an Onsen huh?_

“How the hell did you find this place?”

“Business trip.” The brunette answered honestly, offering the receptionist a charming grin as they strolled casually through the stunning lobby. While Yokozawa admired the modern, yet traditional décor and architecture of the building, (Must be his mothers influence…), Kirishima had received a pair of keycards and a small brochure including a map of the inn. The raven snapped out of his trance and offered the front desk workers a sheepish smile before catching up to his lover.

The beta followed the whistling brunette down the long hallway, dotted with various doors and number plates. He almost slammed into the figure in front of him when the alpha suddenly came to a halt in front of a polished, black, wooden door. A quiet beep was heard as the card swiped against the sensor and the hinges gave-way to reveal a vast couples suite.

“Don’t tell me you rented this…”

The editor ignored him and waltzed in to make himself comfortable, humming in approval as he cast about the vast room. Yokozawa rolled his eyes and wheeled his suitcase to rest by the closet that held complimentary yukata’s. There was no way he was going to make it through the evening without any funny business from-

Kirishima tore open the sheer, white curtains and blinding light doused the previously dim room. The beta hissed and covered his eyes for a moment, the sudden flash of sun giving him a mild headache. The alpha chuckled at his dramatics and opened the entrance to their private spa, the steam curling upwards, waving shapelessly in the chilly weather. Yokozawa clicked his tongue and his eyes dart about the room for a distraction, his curious gaze landing on the discarded pamphlet.

‘Welcome to Mountain-Peak Harmony Spa!’

Yokozawa flipped the picture and introductory font away to get a layout of the hotel, seems like there were 3 public bathing areas, a room service menu, and an inside on the mountain town’s locals.

‘Hiyo would really like this..-‘

_Hiyo_

“Oi! Explain to me why the _hell_ you dragged me up here instead of your own daughter! She never gets to spend any time with you, and who is even taking care of her!?” The raven demanded, stalking onto the scenic back porch to find his lover casually dipping his toes in the steaming water.

“Hm? Oh, my mom’s got her.” The alpha shrugged and motioned for him to join him, sighing when the beta refused to move a muscle.

“Are you really that thick?”

“Excuse me?”

“This is our honeymoon you idiot.”

Yokozawa’s jaw dropped, never in a million years would he have predicted he’d be spirited off to the top of a mountain to indulge in a newly-wed couple’s activity. It hadn’t even crossed his mind!

“You know that’s something you do _after_ a wedding, right? Besides, I’m not a chick, I never dreamed up a fantasy of ‘my perfect honeymoon’” The raven mocked, lifting a brow.

“This was the only time our schedules would allow us to get away for a while, can’t you just sit back and enjoy our date~” The alpha whined as he pulled his feet out of the warm water to stalk towards him.

“I never agreed to this!”

“You agreed once you got in the car.” Kirishima remarked matter-of-factly, cupping his chin to look into his steely-grey eyes smugly.

The beta groaned in exasperation yanking his jaw from the brunette’s grasp, turning away to escape into the room that only had _one_ bed. Yokozawa was more than used to sharing his sleeping space with the alpha, but two grown _men_ renting a couple’s suite seemed suspicious…

The raven flopped tiredly onto the bed, closing his eyes, he needed a nap. The car ride had left him feeling drained, along with his lover’s obnoxious attempts at serenading him.

“Hey, you can’t sleep now!” Kirishima’s voice warned as he began to drift off, what snapped him awake was the palm smoothing the now exposed skin of his stomach as his lover trailed his hand slowly upwards. Not long after a warm tongue followed, tickling against his sensitive navel.

“Cut- tha..t out!” The beta sniped the best he could in an attempt to ward off his lover’s arousing attack. A deep snicker flooded his ears and he felt something palming at his slowly stiffening groin, forcing out a harsh gasp. The alphas hot mouth trailed teasingly down his abdomen while hands at his hips slowly pulled his jeans down to his thighs.

“Don’t- !!” The raven shivered when he felt a wet sensation dragging over his clothed crotch, teeth nipping lightly at his skin as they tugged the waistband of his boxer’s down.

“Nngh…” Yokozawa bit into his hand as his lover’s cavern engulfed his throbbing arousal, his tongue teasing along his sensitive flesh. Kirishima’s effort soon had the beta heaving labored breaths as his hips bucked to meet his mate’s bobbing movements. The alpha pulled off without warning, and crawled forward, discarding his own pants haphazardly on the floor. Stormy grey snapped open, directing a teary glare towards a gleaming pair of amber.

“Haa.. _ahn-_!” a large hand reached between them to grip their slick arousals together, stroking them with a timed rhythm. Lewd sounds struck the beta’s ears making him flush even deeper, leading him to bury his face in the alpha’s neck in embarrassment. Kirishima’s hips thrusted to meet his fast pace, along with Yokozawa beneath him. Both men panted heavily as they neared their release, almond waves tickled at the raven’s neck while the brunette whispered his first name, nipping at his ear.

“ _Ah!”_

_“…-!!”_

This was the final straw for the beta and his climax burst forth, Kirishima close behind him. Pleasure washed over the pair in waves and the alpha collapsed sluggishly beside him after biting into his shoulder to stifle his cry of pleasure, both were huffing for breath. Exhaustion began to take its toll on the raven, and his thoughts of cleaning up were dismissed as a tide of drowsiness hit him full force.

“The hell…was that for…?” The raven panted, finally gaining the strength to spit out a curse.

“You need to relax.” The alpha offered and began to push himself up.

“N-no.” Yokozawa cautioned weakly detesting a second round, relief washing over him when he saw the man swing his long legs over the side of the bed. Kirishima snickered in response and stood on his feet, padding into the bathroom to return with a damp cloth. The beta snatched the rag from him and cleaned himself up stubbornly, not wanting to initiate a round two.

“How about a massage?” The alpha purred, picking up a light bottle of lavender-scented oil from the bedside table.

“W-where the hell did you get that?!”

“Do you always have to ruin the mood? I brought it with me obviously.” Kirishima groaned popping the cap open to drizzle some of the sleek fluid onto his palm. He began shifting closer to his lover’s chilled naked body, and Yokozawa tensed up weakly pushing at his slick hands. The alpha strengthened his advances and shoved the raven back down, flipping him forcefully onto his front. The beta cursed the man’s superior strength and trembled with rage and anticipation as he felt warm palms smooth over his spine, his hairs raising in alert.

“Relax~” the alpha urged again, leaning down to whisper the syllable meaningfully into his ear.

Yokozawa felt his muscles comply with his mate’s demand and felt his tense flesh give way to the hands groping over his skin. Kirishima dug his fingers into his shoulder blades and slowly continued his motions downwards until he reached his backside. The beta tensed up and whipped around to seize his lover’s wrists in warning. The brunette frowned and lithely escaped his grasp, surging forward to flip him over again. Yokozawa struggled in response, his body going numb when the alpha lowered his body to press intimately against the ravens back to murmur,

“Let me take care of you.”

The beta grimaced and squirmed beneath his lover’s added weight as his belly sunk into the mattress. Kirishima’s body gave way and he was able to roll onto his back only to be caged in again by his mate’s limbs.

  
“Care for a bath?” The alpha questioned expectantly, motioning with his head to the small private spring that resided in front of the breath-taking mountain view. This place must’ve come at a hefty price… Yokozawa nodded after a moment of thought, pregnancy was uncomfortable after all; his back always hurt, his feet felt swollen, his body ached…Kirishima’s massage had helped ease that discomfort momentarily, but a soothing herbal bath seemed tempting. Said man reached towards him to pull him up gently off of the bed, guiding him to the washroom to shower first.

\----

The wild-bear sighed as his aching body sunk into the warm water, inhaling the earthy, herbal concoction mingling with the steam. Kirishima’s amber eyes took in the sight of his satiated lover, the pink hues cast from the sunset reflecting in his iris’s, the color complimenting his golden hair and pale skin.

_He’s beautiful…_

The raven caught himself thinking and turned his head away, blaming the heated mist curling around them for his flushed face.

As the sun dipped behind the mountain, the air around the bath cooled, urging the water-drenched pair to retire to their room. Yokozawa shrugged on his lounge pants, preparing to toss his shirt over his head before his lover stepped up behind him. Kirishima inhaled near his mark and rubbed his palms once again over the supple skin on his abdomen. The beta patiently waited for his mate’s hands to leave, he did this at least twice a week, but after 5 minutes of standing stock still in the middle of the room his brow began to twitch irritably. The raven opened his mouth to hiss out a reprimand-

“I can’t wait.”

The alpha suddenly cut him, off murmuring groggily into his neck, and Yokozawa tilted his head waiting for him to continue.

“I wonder what they’ll be like…” He trailed off, smoothing his hand over the bump that had grown over the past 5 months.

“Picky or messy, joyful or _grouchy,_ boy or girl…” Kirishima drawled on.

The beta hesitantly lifted a hand that was resting at his side to stiffly rest it over the palm that was resting against his stomach. Kirishima smiled against the skin of his lover’s neck and drew his other hand to lay atop the ravens like dominos. The couple stayed still for a fraction of time, relishing the intimate moment, until the alpha leaned forward to peck his beta’s flushed cheek and pulled away.

“Let’s get some sleep, I have plans for tomorrow~” Kirishima remarked merrily, tugging him by the arm to the plush mattress.

\----

Yokozawa hadn’t prepared himself mentally or physically for Kirishima’s version of a date. The alpha had nearly dragged him all over the small town residing on the mountain just below the hotel. The pair visited each shop that lined the streets filled with tourists. Yokozawa felt out of place at the handsome brunette’s side, passers eyeing him with interest, hoping those almond eyes would glance their way. But to strangers’ dismay that burning amber pair was only focused on the brooding, pregnant raven at his side. Luckily, the beta was still able to play his rounding tummy off as extra weight; though it did bruise his pride being referred to as chubby. After all, he had a relatively thin frame prior to the development of his unborn child.

“Takafumi, what about this one?”

Kirishima’s voice questioned, purposefully using his first name out of possessiveness over the light chatter surrounding the small shop. They had ducked into multiple jewelry stores in search of a matching ring for Hiyo under her innocent request, but had no such luck with finding accessories that resembled their own adorning their hands.

Yokozawa stepped over upon hearing his given name, much to his annoyance, to look at the ring the alpha pointed at through the small window of glass. The beta brought up his ring finger, the metal glinting in the light momentarily, to match them up. He hummed in approval and the brunette grinned, calling over an attendant to fetch the accessory for them. Upon closer inspection the raven noticed a detail that had completely gone over their heads in their blind search.

“How is this supposed to fit her?” He asked while Kirishima smoothed his thumb against the sterling-silver ring thoughtfully. The alpha looked around and Yokozawa’s eyes followed when his gaze fixated on a jewelry tree that held several dangling necklace chains on its metal prongs.

“Good idea.” The beta praised and walked over to run his fingers experimentally through the cool metal curtain of different styled, plain, laces. With much precision and care he finally picked out a thin, delicate, sterling silver cord that would pair elegantly with the ring. The raven wasn’t known to shop much for jewelry besides watches, so he nevertheless felt awkward in the establishment, especially with having a grown man at his side for company.

Kirishima nodded in agreement when his lover held up his selection, and turned back to the owner of the store standing on the other side of the waist length, plexiglass case, handing him their desired items. The manager’s wife smiled and offered them a kind compliment on their choice while she rung up the items at her husband’s side, who inspected the jewelry for any damages before their purchase. When the man seemed satisfied with his examination, he began to wrap and box their jewelry for the couple’s convenience.

The homemade chime dinged above their heads as the swiftly exit the store to brace the chilly, crisp afternoon.

“How about some lunch?” The alpha suggested, pointing at a restaurant that had billows of white smoke rising into the frigid air above the roof. The fragrant smell of fresh, seasoned ramen assaulted the raven’s nose, igniting his taste buds and now grumbling stomach.

“Yeah, I thought so,”

Kirishima chuckled at his side and gripped his hand tightly, the paper bag at his side rustling against his leg as he forcefully dragged the beta along with his walking pace. Yokozawa tried to pry his lover’s warm palm away from his own, but the brunette only squeezed back tighter in response. The raven’s sigh of defeat puffed into the air in a small wisp of short breath, while he concentrated on the synchronized pattern of their feet hitting the pavement, the tips of his ears bright red.

\----

A blast of warm air washed over their chilled faces as the pair stepped into the lobby of their hotel. Kirishima strode past the front desk with a polite wave, eager to get back to their room and warm up. Yokozawa rushed to catch up with him just as enthusiastic to try out the public, spacious bath, but right as he rounded the corner, he slammed into a short figure, knocking them to the floor. The beta opened his eyes after the sudden impact, apology dying on his lips as he recognized the small editor.

“Onodera?” The raven asked quizzically while the omega cradled his nose who rested on the tile.

“Yo.” A familiar voice called from his side, and the beta whirled around to meet the speaker of greeting.

“The _hell_ are you doing here?” Yokozawa demanded upon seeing his friend from emerald casually saunter over.

“Business trip.” Takano answered vaguely, eyeing the raven with suspicion.

“Are you here by yourself?” he asked, helping his mate up off of the floor.

“Nope.” Kirishima chose the perfect moment to swoop in, looping his arm protectively around his pregnant mate. He didn’t appreciate the other alpha’s company very much, and conveyed that strongly as a heavy atmosphere settled over the Marukawa employees.

“We’re on our honeymoon~” Kirishima chirped merrily while poking at the beta’s cheek. Yokozawa slapped his hand away and growled,

“NO, WE’RE NOT.”

“That’s not what you were saying last night.” The alpha teased slyly.

“KIRISHIMA-SAN!” The raven bellowed in embarrassment, his face engulfed in a blazing crimson.

Onodera bravely snickered at Takano’s side as he watched the lover’s quarrel, and the emerald editor in chief chuckled in amusement.

“This is actually kinda perfect running into you like this, we were just out shopping.” Takano interrupted and lifted up a small mint green bag. Kirishima’s expression stiffened as he addressed the beta at his side and took a step in-front of him. Yokozawa kicked his shin in response with fury, but the alpha wouldn’t budge. The editor in chief of emerald only offered a snort and thrust the paper bag into Kirishima’s chest,

  
“Consider it an early baby-shower present.”

The beta frowned as Kirishima handed him the bag,

“you didn’t have t-“

The article of clothing he pulled from beneath the tissue paper unfolded before his face,

‘Mama bear’ was labeling the navy-blue shirt with bold white letters centered at the middle of the fabric. Two small brown bear paw- prints were pasted beneath the words for emphasis and decoration. Kirishima’s face lit up as he read the words and grudgingly offered the alpha and his lover a subtle thumbs up of approval. Meanwhile the raven beside him dipped his head, as his arms lowered slowly, his hands clenching the cloth with a death grip.

“You have till 3 to start running before I throw the both of you off this fucking mountain.” Yokozawa stated darkly, lifting his head to shoot his friend and Onodera a bone-chilling glare. The omega squeaked in fear as the pregnant beta took a menacing step forward, counting aloud,

“One…”

Takano took this as his cue to yank Onodera’s arm and tug him towards his side, preparing to dart off, but not before he departed with a comment that boiled his friends blood further.

Yokozawa didn’t even get to two…

“Enjoy your honeymoon~” The raven whistled and he tugged his lover towards their room in a rush, hearing the enraged Yokozawa’s footsteps thumping after him, Kirishima calling after him not to run.

Takano learned quickly, that Kirishima was the only one who could provoke the wild bear and get away with it.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I'm sorry again for leaving you all hanging for so long, thanks for sticking around! Let me know what you think! See you soon <3  
> ~Peachy


	21. Union

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm so sick oh my gosh, I hate flu season :(  
> Lots of family in this chapter, so let me know if I get any titles or names wrong.  
> Happy reading!  
> -Peachy

It was the day of their private celebration of union, and even though it wasn’t much, Yokozawa still had butterflies. It was just a small reception at the beta’s childhood home, given that it was roomier than their miniscule, cozy apartment. The beta wasn’t technically nervous about his parents meeting Kirishima’s family, they were after-all relatively civilized people. He just couldn’t help but worry he was missing a crucial detail…

“Yokozawa?”

Said man looked up from the tiled floor while he stood in the line at the bakery. He was in charge of picking up the cake while Hiyori made sure her father looked decent. Kirishima _hated_ being dressed up, but he would do anything to please his uptight lover, so, he complied with wearing at least a suit on their ‘wedding day’.

“Thanks.” Yokozawa took a step forward to accept the boxed dessert from the counter, making a hasty exit from the small shop. The raven’s bump was beginning to get more noticeable at six months, not that he was upset about it, it was just a little uncomfortable to walk outside and get questioning looks. The beta held the box closer against his abdomen to somewhat hide his showing tummy as he made the trek back to their apartment.

“Papa! We’ve gone over this, you _have_ to wear a tie!” Hiyori’s raised ‘parent’ voice rang from the open bathroom as Yokozawa slipped off his shoes in the genkan. A long-exasperated groan seeped out of the alpha’s mouth as his daughter tugged the maroon tie around his neck. She had it _perfect_ earlier, but the brunette yanked it loose minutes later, childishly complaining that it was too hot in a fit of irritation. Yokozawa peeked into the bathroom to see Hiyo on her tiptoes, tying her father’s tie tightly against his collar while he stared wearily at his prim and proper reflection in the mirror. Amber eyes lit up as he noticed the ravens head poke around the corner and he struggled to move away from the 12-year old’s delicate, but powerful hands.

“Father, stay still!” The youngster warned with exhaustion while softly punching at her father’s chest, she’d re-tied the garment at least 5 times! Her fingers were getting tired…Kirishima went stiff and waited for the youngster to finish, reaching up as high as she could to pat his shoulder once she was satisfied with her inspection. The necklace decorating her throat glittered in the light cast overhead, a normal silver band hanging against her collar, the accessory gifted to her on Christmas just a couple weeks ago. The ring that Hiyo wanted was too big to fit her fingers but her onii-chan had picked out a necklace to keep the sentimental gift on her at all times.

“Your turn onii-chan, and no messing with your hair father!” The youngster chirped as she admired her work proudly, taming Kirishima’s mop of hair was no easy task.

Kirishima mussed his locks to rest against his eyes immaturely, sticking his tongue out at his daughter in petulant secrecy as she skipped away.

“She’s not gonna be too happy about that.” Yokozawa warned as he fumbled into his slacks, rather than wearing a suit like his lover, the beta decided to wear a dress shirt, tie and some nice pants. Wearing a suit when you’re six months pregnant was by no means comfortable, the raven decided to let his abdomen have some room instead of wearing a stiff suit-jacket.

Kirishima shrugged and went about fixing his hair back into its original state before Hiyo pulled it out of his face with copious amounts of gel.

“Don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness~”

  
“So childish! Is that what your slow-poke authors tell you?” Yokozawa sniped while buttoning the sleeves on his dark-blue dress shirt.

“That’s not fair!” The alpha pouted, turning around to offer his lover a look of hurt.

Yokozawa brushed past him to comb his hair in the mirror, fussing over the spiky strands that have stood up since he was little. Kirishima creeped up behind him and hugged him tightly around the waist, the alpha seemed to be more excited than Hiyori about ‘Kuma’ as the brunette liked to call them. Anytime he was feeling jittery he sought out the raven’s tummy, ‘It’s relaxing and warm’ as he described it, but Yokozawa still didn’t get why he clung to his abdomen every chance he could.

“FATHER! What did you do to your hair!?” Hiyori fumed in the previously vacant doorway, her hands resting against her hips in disapproval while her adorable face scrunched up in an attempt to scowl which she’d learned from her onii-chan. Kirishima flinched in surprise and continued his hold on the raven while he turned to meet his daughter’s anger with a sheepish grin.

\----

“Takafumi so nice to see you again, come in, come in!” A familiar raven woman met her son at the door of their home. Light music was playing in the background, and a small heart decorated banner hung from the ceiling above the doorway reading: ‘Happy wedding!’ with a little interlocked gold rings graphic at the center. Pastel confetti was strewn about the floor and white/baby-blue balloons fluttered against the ground with the added air as the entryway opened.

“You really didn’t have to do this…” Yokozawa muttered in embarrassment.

“You all look so nice, Hiyo-chan I love your dress!” The mother praised, cooing over their appearance, her son’s reprimand completely going over her head.

“Thanks, Baachan!” Hiyo blushed brightly with a brilliant Kirishima grin contributing a twirl, her rose-gold dress glittering under the soft light of the room, contributing to her angelic features. The woman chuckled and clapped in approval as the youngster showed off her new dress and glistening necklace that flew in the air.

“Here let me take that.” Narumi offered while she placed her hands over her sons own that were gripping the boxed cake tightly. When the beta’s arms didn’t budge, the raven woman smirked and yanked on the box a bit harder, catching her son off-guard while she triumphantly held the container away from arms reach.

“Wow Takafumi, someone’s growing!” Narumi teased the pregnant beta as he flushed and crossed his arms uncomfortably across his abdomen.

“Have you thought of a name?” The mother meddled excitedly.

“No-“

“Kuma.”

The alpha spoke over Yokozawa, effectively angering him to no end.

**“No-“**

“Aw what a cute name!”

Interrupted again, this time by his mother’s cooing voice, the provoked bear felt his ire beginning to rise.

“I agree.” Yokozawa’s normally quiet father made his entrance, stalking forward with his trademark scowl, he couldn’t help the stern crease in his brow anymore than his son could.

Just as the beta was about to lash out at his family, a light knock resounded at the door behind them.

“I’ll get it~” The delightful woman wearing a floor-length violet dress chimed in. Her silky onyx hair was pinned up in an elegant bun by a crystal pin, a few strands dangling decoratively to frame her delicate face. The satin fabric falling to her feet swished as the door flew open.

Both elder Kirishima’s stood baffled before the gorgeous woman.

“I think we have the wrong house…” The wrinkle aged woman in a floral print sun-dress claimed awkwardly.

“Grandma!” Hiyo squealed in excitement, bounding past the family of ravens and her father to greet her beloved grandparents.

“My, my have you grown my dear!” The woman chuckled as her granddaughter clung tightly to her waist. Hiyo was beginning to hit a growth spurt, and had grown several centimeters taller, seems like she wasn’t too far from puberty either…an age Kirishima was absolutely dreading, but he clings to the stubborn belief that his daughter won’t be boy crazy once she turns 13.

“Eh? Really!?” The youngster looked down at her feet as if she could tell a difference.

Kirishima trailed up behind her to greet his parents and introduce them to his new in-laws.

“Mother, Father, this is Narumi and Kioshi Yokozawa.” The alpha presented the dazzling couple to his own.

“Pleasure to meet you, I’m Himari Kirishima, and he is Haruto.” The frail woman announced herself and her husband to the seemingly young pair.

“Such beautiful names!” The gorgeous woman dressed in violet raiment commented, surging forward to offer each of them a light hug.

“Please come in!” She urged the old couple who hobbled up the steps.

“Zen!” Himari whispered harshly, catching her son’s attention. The brunette leaned down and his mother pinched his ear,

“Ow!”

“Do you think I’m a fool, you told me they were _our_ age!”

“They are I promise, ask Takafumi!” The alpha hissed as he bat away his mother’s scolding hand that has pinched many of his sibling’s ears, especially his…

“Hm…” The woman hummed skeptically as she searched her son’s face for any hints of hesitation. It was hard to believe that the eldest Yokozawa’s shared their age group, in contrast to Himari and her husband, Kioshi nor Narumi seemed to show no signs of age except a few grey hairs and faint wrinkles. Years under the sun out in the country distressed the Kirishima’s skin with freckles and sun spots leaving them prone to quick age, their youngest, Zen, was the only one spared once they moved to Tokyo.

“Care for some tea? being around all these youngsters makes me feel so _old_! It’s nice to have some company my age!” Narumi chuckled as she led the elderly Kirishima’s to a private lounge room, her husband close behind her. Himari felt a tinge of guilt for expecting Yokozawa’s family to be cold and stern. The raven was hardly ever rude around them; however, it was tough to put anything but a scowl on his bearlike face. Zen and Hiyori nevertheless seemed to know just what buttons to push to provoke a small smile or stifled laughter.

\----

Loud laughter leaked from under the door that separated the main room from the second lounge as the elder’s conversed.

“Seems like they’re getting along just fine.” Kirishima hummed in amusement.

_Knock knock_

“Is that catering? I thought it was dropped off already?” Yokozawa asked quizzically. The alpha ignored him and stepped forward to swing the door open and greet their ‘unexpected visitors’.

“What the _hell_ are you doing here!?”

“Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve been here.” Takano commented as he slipped his shoes off, he was holding a moderate sized box that screamed trouble, the raven wasn’t about to trust any of his ‘gifts’ ever again.

“Hey Yokozawa, nice baby bump~” The editor teased as he handed over the simple white box.

“ _Shut up,_ and whatever that is I don’t want it.” The beta snapped, hugging his arms around his abdomen self-consciously.

“Fine, here.” The alpha tossed the box into Kirishima’s unsuspecting arms and strolled in casually.

“W-wait, how did you know?” Yokozawa struggled with his cool-collected friend, shooting the omega at his side a distrusting glare.

“Kirishima-san invited us.” Takano replied without batting an eye.

“Tsk, you expect me to believe tha-“

The raven turned to meet his lover’s eyes, but just like always whenever Kirishima was lying, that molten amber wouldn’t look his way.

“Look at me you idiot!”

The alpha met his lover’s eyes and sighed with defeat,

“I figured it would be nice to be surrounded by friends.”

“Friends?”

_Oh no._

“Well, well if it isn’t the wild bear and his cubs!” Isaka announced himself dramatically, his stoic secretary Asahina sauntering in after him, plopping a sparkly gift bag onto Yokozawa’s feet.

Takano decided this was the perfect time to poke his head out from the kitchen, after helping himself to the catering the couple ordered for the event.

“The rest of my department should be coming soon.”

“OI, just how many people are we expecting!?” Yokozawa demanded the guilty Kirishima who offered a sheepish grin,

“I invited some people from sales…a couple authors…and a few of my subordinates.” The alpha confessed while lowering his head, preparing for a scathing tongue lashing.

Yokozawa’s face turned bright red, but he said nothing and turned on his heel, storming past everyone to the back door for some air.

Hiyo watched her onii-chan stalk out of the room and frowned, that wasn’t the Yokozawa she knew…

“Uh-oh looks like you’ve upset mama bear~” Isaka teased innocently.

“This is all my fault, I should go check on him-“ Kirishima spun around to chase after the raven, when a strong but fragile arm halted his movement.

“You’ve done enough.” She scolded with harsh almond eyes, and dashed down the hall to find where the beta had run off to.

Kirishima gaped after his angelic daughter, who taught her to talk like that!? Was this the start of her rebellious phase? He wasn’t expecting it so soon, let alone prepared for it! The brunette’s shoulders slumped and let out a sigh, however the comment stung, she was right…

He just thought that his lover would have more fun if he had the company of familiar faces other than family, but maybe this was too much for him.

\----

“Onii-chan?”

Yokozawa flinched from his crouched position on the smooth granite steps. When he was young this used to be his comfort space, but with the harsh winter snow, his favorite lush garden had turned to wilt and rot.

“Are you ok?” The youngster asked in a sweet, comforting tone.

“I’m fine Hiyo, just needed some fresh air…” The raven sighed into the crisp afternoon air, snapping a stray twig near his feet.

“Father can be pretty lame sometimes huh?” Hiyo giggled as she sat down next to her Onii-chan, the cool surface chilling her rear.

“Heh, yeah…better watch it, you might hurt his feelings.” Yokozawa teasingly warned the youngster who instantly responded with a conflicted expression.

“You think so?”

“He’s more sensitive than you think especially when it comes to you.” The raven snorted, unaware of her departing comment.

Hiyo’s back straightened and she grinned brightly,

“He teases us so much, he deserves a little in return.”

“You got that right…” The beta chuckled, starting to entertain himself with a loose pebble near his thigh. Young she may be, Hiyo had a strong sense of maturity that rivaled his own sometimes…

“I didn’t know onii-chan had so many friends, or father.” The youngster voiced in amazement, looking at the windows that cast shadows of chatting silhouettes as the sun began to set.

“Mm” the raven hummed blankly, they weren’t really his _friends,_ well, there was the exception of Takano but he was on really thin ice.

“I’m sure Onii-chan’s friends are worried.”

Yokozawa winced when he felt a strong kick in his belly, as if urging him to stop moping him around and enjoy the party his family threw for him and his lover. He grimaced and pressed a palm against his stomach, hoping to soothe the roused life.

“Is something wrong?” Hiyo asked worriedly, noticing the raven pressing a hand against his abdomen in discomfort.

“Just-kicking ah, the baby I mean...” The beta supplied unthinkingly, sometimes he forgot he was conversing with a child when he was with Hiyori and that he had to provide context.

“Can I feel?” The youngster asked excitedly, leaning forward with expectant brown eyes that begged him to say ‘go ahead’. After a moment of debate, Yokozawa did just that and moved his hand away to invite the 12-year old’s own.

“Wow! You weren’t joking!” Hiyo marveled in amazement as her delicate hand slid over the raven’s belly, following the tiny, punching movements. The beta nodded with a fond smile, what was he doing out here sulking like a child? He could at least appreciate that his lover was thoughtful enough to try and liven the celebration with a ‘few’ extra (unwanted) voices. Yokozawa took a deep breath and heaved himself up, offering the curious 12-year old a hand to help her to her feet. Hiyo grinned brightly and her tiny warm hand clasped tightly in his palm as he pulled her upright.

“Let’s go enjoy the party.” The raven encouraged, receiving an enthusiastic nod in response.

\----

“Takafumi!” Zen had instantly caught sight of his familiar, grumpy lover’s dark head poking into the room after his adorable daughter. The alpha crossed the distance between them quickly to grasp his shoulder.

“You’re so cold.” The brunette muttered to himself and tightly gripped his lover’s hands that were resting at his sides with his own in attempt to warm them up.

“M’ fine, I’m not a kid.” Yokozawa told him batting the alpha’s hands away in stubborn embarrassment. Kirishima’s face fell and he instantly grasped the raven’s hands once again despite his warning.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you if I was inviting people.” Kirishima apologized sincerely with hopeful glowing amber. They only gleamed like that when he was concerned…

“Don’t worry about it, I overreacted” The raven shrugged off his apology in hopes of clearing up the awkward atmosphere. Kirishima pursed his lips and looked like he was about to argue but his daughter interrupted him, pulling on his sleeve,

“Father, I don’t really know these people so I’m gonna hang out with my grandparents.” The youngster informed her father of her planned location for the evening.

Kirishima nodded in agreement, perhaps rambunctious adults drinking champagne wasn’t a good environment for such a young child. He felt safer with her sipping tea with the old folks instead and accompanied her to where the elders had settled down.

“Come get me if you need anything ok?” The alpha sternly ordered, gripping at her teeny shoulders.

“Got it!” Hiyo grinned brightly and pulled her father into a tight hug in place of an apology for her attitude from earlier. Kirishima grunted as his seemingly fragile daughter yanked him forward.

“You’ve got your mother’s strength Y’know that?” The brunette chuckled as he ran his fingers affectionately through her carefully, styled hair. Hiyo punched his arm lightly in embarrassment and skipped off to greet the waiting elders who were in the middle of a game of cards.

\----

Just as the last few editors filtered in, Kirishima sighed in relief, luckily a few of the people he invited didn’t show. They probably figured it was a joke to provoke the grouchy salesman, and rather than face his wrath many decided to keep a distance.

“Yasuda-san?” The alpha heard his beta’s voice speak incredulously, and Kirishima whirled around to face his close friend.

“What’s up?” The handsome raven replied casually waving at his familiar friend.

“Wow, you sure tied him down fast!” The alpha whistled when he noticed the sweet smell coming off of the beta along with the damning little bump of an abdomen.

‘but he’s not an omega?’ Yasuda thought curiously, deciding to file it away for now.

Kirishima stepped in front of his mate protectively, snarling in warning.

“Relax! I’m not a threat! Jeez…I come all the way here to congratulate you and this is the thanks I get.” The man pouted childishly. The brunettes threatening amber gaze didn’t budge as his pupils contacted to form slits, his growl rumbling deep from within his throat. Everyone picked up on the low note and turned their heads, Yokozawa felt himself shrink as everyone’s eyes fixated on him and unconsciously clutched at his lover’s sleeve. It reminded him of the nightmare he’d had a month ago…

“Show off.” Yasuda waved him off simply and handed him a pink gift bag. Kirishima snorted and set the bag on the crowded gift table by the door that was shrinking of surface.

“Man~ I’m tired, where’s the champagne?” He questioned as he yanked off his heavy coat, hanging it up on the nearby rack. Kirishima directed his friend to the kitchen in the alpha’s quest for refreshing alcohol.

“By the way who were all those women out there?”

The brunette froze up and the pouring bottle continued to flow into the glass.

“Hey, hey!” Yasuda snapped and shoved the bottle into the alpha’s chest to keep it from spilling over.

“What did they look like?” Kirishima asked wearily, finally able to find his voice.

“ _You_ actually, but they all had freckles and their skin was tan. Weird huh?”

_Oh dear…_

“Otouto!”

“Zen!”

A cheerful group of young women burst through the front door in search of their younger brother. Two of the girls triggered mini confetti poppers, making their entrance all the more dramatic as colored paper float around them. Kirishima clenched his jaw and shot Yasuda a ‘help me’ look. The raven only offered an evil grin and pushed his reluctant friend out of the kitchen.

“You mean _this_ Zen?” Yasuda announced, proudly presenting the-

_where the hell did, he go?_

“Where?!” A tall woman with short brown hair demanded, her scorching amber eyes asking the same question as she zoned in on the alpha.

“He was just here…” The raven muttered, scratching his head, he seemed to vanish from thin air.

Yokozawa watched the scene unfold before him, it was like four female Kirishima _clones_! They were all so tall, two of them wore glasses and long hair, while the other two presented perfect eyesight along with short haircuts. A couple of them were a bit heftier (Yokozawa finding no problem with that), but they were all a stunning sight to see, leaving the beta at a complete loss.

“Which one of you is Yokozawa Takafumi?” one of the older looking ones chimed in, surveying the room, her long almond locks swishing threateningly. The crowd hesitantly pointed at the raven in question, sure these women were beautiful, but they were intimidating as all hell! Yokozawa took a staggering step backwards as the group of female Kirishima’s closed in on him. He felt his stomach twist as 4 sets of molten amber locked onto him and curled his arms around his belly feeling like prey to predator.

_Were they all alphas!?_

“He picked a cute one!”

“He sure did!”

“But what’s this?” One of the brunettes chimed in, sniffing the air.

“Aia, Kuri, Natsu, Ran!”

All four women flinched at their mother’s booming voice from behind them.

“Step aside, you’re scaring him!” Harumi scolded as she shooed her daughters out of the way.

“Poor thing…” The mother soothed as she teetered forward to comfort the sweating raven. Yokozawa wiped his forehead against his sleeve and pushed his now damp forearm away in disgust.

“Zen is such a coward when it comes to his sisters…” The elderly woman shook her head in disapproval. The raven nodded slightly, his brow beginning to dip in frustration and confusion.

“Oba!” Hiyo chirped in happily as she flew into each of her aunt’s arms.

“Hiyori!” They all cheered in unison as they collectively hugged their niece, lifting her up in the air momentarily while she giggled.

“Do you know where your papa is?” Aia, the eldest sister of Zen’s asked her adorable niece who beamed happily at her. ‘She’s grown so much…’ they all thought.

“Nope.” She sighed sadly while shaking her head.

“I do.” Ijuin-sensei, Kirishima’s pain in the ass author, coughed uncomfortably.

The room went silent and a hissing ‘no’ could be heard as Kirishima smacked Ijuin’s hands away that were attempting to tug him out from behind the couch. His efforts to stay hidden were in vain as each sister had been blessed with ears like that of a fruit bat, just like their younger brother, and easily picked up the familiar whispering voice.

“Aww did you think you could hide from us all night?” Aia pulled her beloved brother from the floor with a stubbornly strong grip on his mop of hair.

“Owowow! Neechan, I told you guys not to come!” Kirishima groaned while batting at her vice-like grip on his hair.

_This was so humiliating..._

“ _Neechan_!?” Everyone around him exclaimed in shock, no one expected that the popular Editor in Chief of Japun, Kirishima Zen, had _four_ older siblings…

“I’m hurt! We flew all the way out here and this is how you treat us, how many years has it been since I’ve seen your adorable face!?” The woman cried, placing a palm dramatically against her heart.

“You’re causing a scene!” The alpha snapped, finally able to struggle out of the woman’s hold, and tried to sneak away from his older sisters.

“Oh no you don’t! You haven’t introduced us to that _adorable_ bear over there!” Ran grappled strongly at his collar and held him back, pointing an accusatory finger in Yokozawa’s direction.

‘Why the hell does everyone think I’m a bear!?’ The raven screamed internally as the haunting nickname rolled off of the woman’s tongue. Kirishima let out a long, suffering sigh in defeat as his sibling held him just a few centimeters off of the ground while he dangled from his suit.

“Ok! Let me down.” The alpha muttered, wiggling in his shirt that was starting to ride up his toned stomach.

Yokozawa marveled at the woman’s strength, she had to posses a crazy amount of muscle to lift a grown man over 180 centimeters…

“Aia, Kuri, Natsu, Ran, I would like you to meet my mate, Yokozawa Takafumi.” The alpha addressed each of his sisters and they posed theatrically as their names were announced.

“You’re not finished yet.” Kuri reminded, pointing a long, manicured, maroon nail in her brother’s direction.

“We’re expecting an addition to the family in 3 months.” Kirishima sighed, offering his lover an apologetic look before each woman surged forward to coo over his baby bump.

Aia had always wanted a child of her own, but due to health complications, she has lost the gift to bear children. When her brother came to stay with her after Sakura’s passing, she’d helped raise Hiyo a bit, bringing her out of a depression slump. Kirishima knew how sensitive a subject pregnancy was to her and tried to keep it a secret in consideration of her feelings; but the Kirishima’s were always a very talkative family and the news spread like wildfire once he’d told his parents. Ran lead an independent life, and rather than settling down, became absorbed in her studies to climb the ladder of success, but children always held a special place in her heart. Kuri and Natsu already had children and families of their own, leaving them overjoyed to know that there was an expected youngster in the Kirishima family. After hearing news like this, each sister coordinated with their parents the right date to fly out and see for themselves, (they lived relatively far).

“Have you thought of a name?” Natsu pried curiously, batting her large brown eyes.

“Kuma.” Kirishima answered with a fond smile, earning an elbow in the ribs from his lover.

“So cute!!” They all squealed in excitement, lunging forward to wrap their brother and his mate into a suffocating embrace.

“Let’s celebrate!” Aia cheered, picking up the festivities they’d interrupted.

\----

The rest of the party went off without a hitch, although there was one thing to take into consideration…

Yokozawa looked around the dimly lit room littered with confetti and empty champagne glasses. It was around 11 pm and people were planning to leave but-

A loud snort from Takano broke out into the previously quiet room, prompting the soft snores of the others that had passed out to surface. The beta shook his head and tucked a blanket over each sleeping occupant in the room, some had fallen asleep on futons, others haphazardly on couches like Takano and Yasuda. Kirishima shuffled about the room, gathering up the discarded glasses and empty bottles. He’d tucked his angelic daughter in with her aunt’s an hour ago, he was impressed she’d been able to stay up so late. After sweeping up the confetti, the alpha allowed himself to stretch and yawn loudly, creeping over to drape himself tiredly over his lover’s back.

“I’m tired~” The brunette whined petulantly for the umpteenth time.

“I know.” Yokozawa sniped and tossed away the last empty bottle of champagne, seriously, nobody could hold their liquor except for the Kirishima’s. The beta hadn’t been allowed to drink for obvious reasons, so it was pretty annoying to see everyone around him get completely shit-faced without being able to consume one _drop_ of alcohol. Instead, Yokozawa sipped on sparkling cider that he’d bought for Hiyori so she could feel like a part of the group.

“Can we go to bed now?” Kirishima mumbled sleepily into his neck while he secured his arms around his waist. The beta sighed, it had been a very… _eventful_ night, and he was absolutely exhausted. The raven, in a moment of weakness, turned around and returned his lover’s lax embrace, gracing him with a sweet peck on the lips, savoring the light taste of champagne that lingered. Yokozawa rest his head on the alpha’s shoulder and began to doze off, he distantly sensed being lifted by his thighs to wrap long legs around the brunette’s waist as he was carried. It couldn’t be easy to lift someone their own height on top of that person being pregnant, and for once the raven appreciated his alpha’s strength as he was laid down on the mattress without having to move a muscle. Kirishima cuddled him facing forward, stroking the raven’s back soothingly as he growled a low note into his ear.

_‘I’m so happy.’_ was the last thing the raven thought before slipping into unconsciousness, hearing a ‘me too’ in reply, he didn’t know he said that out loud…

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming back to read you keep me going! My brain is all over the place so if I mess anything up don't be afraid to tell me lol, see you all soon <3  
> -Peachy


	22. Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o I'm back with a new chapter! I wanted to write about them enjoying a winter activity such as ice-skating but then I actually decided to use my brain for a minute and realized that probably wasn't the safest idea, so, I think I improvised quite nicely! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!  
> -Peachy

“Okay, are you ready?” A female doctor asked enthusiastically, swiveling around on the small stool while snapping on some latex gloves.

Yokozawa Takafumi had done this about 23 times, (yes, he counted) but the only thing that was different was-

“Zen! what’s taking so long?” Kirishima’s sister, Aia, whined dramatically at his side.

_Why did Kirishima’s family have to be here!?_

It all started about a week ago…

**“Hey Takafumi.” Kirishima wandered into the living room where the beta was typing away at his laptop. He had to get these sales stats in by 5 o’clock.**

**“Hm?” Yokozawa glanced up momentarily, but his focus remained solely on the device in front of him as his eyes rapidly scanned the lit-up screen.**

**“When’s your next appointment?”**

**“Next Thursday, why do you ask?” The raven recalled grudgingly marking it on the cat themed calendar, that magnetically stuck to the fridge, with a hot-pink sharpie that Hiyo had left lying around.**

**“Well I wanted to go with you, but how many people are allowed to come?” The alpha asked hesitantly, Yokozawa instantly noticing that he wouldn’t look at him. The raven raised a skeptical brow and steel grey continued to glower up at the fidgeting brunette.**

**“ _Why?”_**

**Bright, golden amber flicked his way nervously, and the alpha gave in with a heavy sigh,**

**“My sisters are in town until the end of the month and they wanted to see.”**

**“No way.”**

**“They won’t leave me alone! Please it will just be for 10 minutes I promise.” Kirishima pleaded with his hands clasped together in front of his scrunched-up, hopeful face.**

**“No, that’s weird!” The beta stubbornly refused, turning back to his computer to ignore him. The alpha pouted for a moment before he stalked off, around the back of the couch.**

**“I asked you nicely~”**

**Was the only warning Yokozawa got before his laptop was yanked off of his lap from above, Kirishima triumphantly holding it high above his head behind him. The raven gulped upon seeing his sales stats in potential danger of crashing to the ground and tossed his lover a chilling glare. No matter how determined the alpha was he was still clumsy as hell and could drop the damn thing any moment…**

**“Give it back.”**

**“What’s the magic word?”**

**“Fuck you.”**

**“Hmm not exactly what I was looking for~”**

**“Quit screwing around!” Yokozawa snapped, attempting to swipe the device from the brunette’s long arms, Kirishima easily dancing out of his way.**

**“I will, once you say it.”**

**“Kirishima-san!”**

**“Go on~”**

**“Ugh, you’re so damn childish! May I please have it back?”**

**“Nope!”**

**Yokozawa seethed with rage and tried once again to snatch the laptop from his grasp, but no matter how high he reached, the brunette still had the upper hand with a flexible abdomen. The position he was put in was entirely unfair with his pregnant stomach. The raven groaned, he knew what the alpha wanted to hear, and the only way to end this was to please him with those words.**

**“Fine. Your family can come. Now give me my fucking laptop.” The beta hissed through his grit teeth, it was utterly humiliating to be teased like this, only to tuck his tail between his legs in the end. With that, Kirishima’s arms blessedly lowered, soothing the raven’s anxiety of his company-loaned device being dropped.**

And that’s where he was today, surrounded by Kirishima’s sisters, parents and the alpha himself. It was awkward enough taking up the waiting room with so many of the smirking brunettes; but to be laying down on a table with his shirt lifted up, while they all crowded around him was worse! Yokozawa shuddered as the gel was smothered across his chilled skin, no matter how many times he’d laid on this damn exam bed, he’d never get used to that. The doctor lifted the wand from its latch and pressed it onto the bump that was beginning to round and stiffen.

The raven heard his pulse thrumming through the speakers, and felt his breathing hitch when the sound of a second, fluttering beat was picked up as the sensor slid over a certain spot. Everyone around him gasped in awe as the rapid, soft heartbeat thud just slightly after the beta’s own, paired with a grey-scale visual as proof of the life inside him. Kirishima, who stood next to him, grasped his hand that had rest against his side and squeezed tightly. Yokozawa peeked up to see his mate’s fond expression glued to the screen, as soft amber eyes watched the fetus squirm and kick momentarily before settling back down.

Kirishima had seen the proof many times, but each time he came back to see growth always made his heart flutter with excitement and pure joy. This was real, this was happening, and he honestly couldn’t be any happier. His mate, however, seemed distant since their last appointment which was 2 weeks ago…

“Congratulations little brother!” One of Kirishima’s siblings exclaimed, slapping him on the back harshly, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Oww!”

The alpha’s parents off to the side remained quiet, but shared the same fond, reflective expression as their son.

Needless to say, the beta’s usually short, 10-minute appointments, turned into a horrific 25 as 4 Kirishima’s continued to coo over the heartbeat and black & white screen. Each sibling demanded a photo of the little ‘bear cub’ and happily went on their separate ways.

“Take care you two~” Ran called after the pair as they parted in different directions. Kirishima’s family decided to go out for drinks while the exhausted beta declined, prompting his alpha to follow him towards the train station. He wouldn’t be able to drink anything anyways, _and_ he can only handle more than one Kirishima for so long.

Yokozawa almost tripped on a loose pebble as he studied the glossy photo while he trudged forward. The raven dragged his thumb over, what he supposed to be the baby’s head, and grimaced. Could he really do this? Be a parent?

_“So I was…..dinner…..Hiyo...”_

He was getting close to the end after-all, and hadn’t considered once just what he had gotten himself into. He didn’t want to. He just wanted to enjoy the precious moments, but as the seventh month neared the raven increasingly grew doubtful of his nurturing abilities. He never planned to have children, hell he didn’t even think he could! He just…didn’t want to let them down…

_“yo...zawa…?”_

The thought of bringing a child into the world scared him. He would be responsible for them for the rest of his life, did he really have the skills to raise a kid?

“Hey…are..ou..listen……me?”

Yokozawa felt a light kick from within his abdomen and his frown deepened. He’s scared…so scared-

“Woah!”

The beta was yanked to the side suddenly, watching the world blur sideways as a strong arm forcefully pulled his body to the right. Yokozawa stumbled for a moment and recollected himself, shaking his head to stop it from spinning.

“You almost ran into that pole dumbass, watch where you’re going.” Kirishima chuckled while pointing at the metal light fixture instituted on the concrete.

The beta held two fingers up to press against his pounding temple, tilting his head towards the ground, away from the afternoon sun. He had a headache.

“Hey, are you alright?” The brunette questioned worriedly, leaning down to look at his shadowed face.

“Fine.” Yokozawa snapped, pocketing the photo and picking up his pace, He just wanted to get home already.

Kirishima buttoned up, deciding not to test the pregnant raven when he was in one of his moods.

\----

“We’re home~”

“Welcome back father, onii-chan!” Hiyori rushed forward to greet the duo and gave each of them a cozy hug. Yokozawa kept his raven head towards the ground, his dark lock hiding his mute expression. The beta kicked his shoes off and stomped towards the bathroom for a shower, slamming the door shut behind him. He felt guilty for acting up when Hiyo was around but he couldn’t help it…

“Hm? What’s wrong with Onii-chan?”

Kirishima watched the bathroom door thump shut and winced, he couldn’t be too happy about sharing an ultrasound picture with everyone along with the experience…

“Ah, he’s really tired today, maybe we should make something nice for him.” The alpha replied to his precious daughter with a doting smile, patting her head like he always did.

“What should we make?” Hiyo asked excitedly, bouncing on her heels impatiently after batting away her papa’s hand, in fear of him messing up her Onii-chan’s careful, French braid he’d done upon her request that morning.

“Hmm, how about a cake?” Kirishima suggested, he knew the raven developed a sweet tooth as a pregnancy trait, maybe he would appreciate a dessert. But at his proposal, the 12-year old instantly deflated, throwing him a withering look.

“What’s with that face!?”

“Father, you know you can’t cook.” The youngster reminded, turning on her heel to walk away.

“What happened to my sweet girl?” The brunette whined as his daughter ignored him to enter the kitchen, throwing on her apron, tying the back in a neat bow.

\----

Yokozawa sighed tiredly and leaned his forehead against the cool, glistening tile. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t cut out to be a parent. Even with Hiyo he often chose the wrong path, like that one time when he tried to educate her on bras after she tried on her mother’s wedding dress. Boy was she pissed…

He just didn’t want his poor decision making to affect an innocent child’s life. Sure, he was naturally approached and loved by children and animals, but that would only get him so far…and what about his relationship with Kirishima? He was still worried about Hiyo getting bullied, but what about this kid growing up differently.

_What if, what if, what if-_

The beta tipped his head back to allow the droplets raining from the showerhead to drench his inky locks. The wet strands of hair now clinging to his face uncomfortably, why was he so sensitive about every damn thing? Why did he have to worry _all the time_? He envied Kirishima’s ability to brush anything off and fly by the seat of his pants. He was always found stuck behind, worrying about the future by himself.

After thoroughly washing his hair and skin, the raven stepped out of the stall, drying himself off with a towel and then draping a robe over his body. A towel looked weird around his waist and felt uncomfortable parading himself about his bedroom with his pregnant tummy on display. So, naturally, Kirishima lent him his robe he’d gotten for Father’s Day a year ago in the meantime.

Yokozawa pulled open his dresser drawer and pulled on his clean lounge clothes after slipping into a pair of boxers. The beta toweled his drenched hair and stepped out of the bedroom to finish up the rest of his work, hoping it would distract him from his buzzing nerves. A sweet aroma caught his attention when he swung the door open and gloomy grey looked up curiously, his stomach beginning to twirl with interest.

“Onii-chan! It’s almost finished so close your eyes!” Hiyo warned from the kitchen, after throwing something into the oven whilst protecting her fragile hands with strawberry-print oven mitts.

The raven felt cool hands slide over his forehead and down over his eyes, swallowing him in pitch black.

“You heard the little lady~” Kirishima whispered into his ear, nipping at his earlobe for good measure.

Yokozawa went rigid and felt something tickling at the skin of his face annoyingly, the texture was rough and powdery. When the beta sucked in a shallow breath, he picked up on the sweet scent of vanilla wafting from the oven, and the bland odor of flour that was sticking to Kirishima’s hands.

Just what the hell were they up to?

Kirishima began to push him forward, probably towards the couch, while continuing to guard his curious gaze from whatever surprise they were planning. The raven felt his legs bump into a cushion and reluctantly allowed his lover to guide him into a sitting position on the sofa. Tapping his finger insistently on his knee, Yokozawa felt his face heat up with irritation as he was treated like a child. He was just about to snap at the alpha to let go of him and cut the crap when Hiyo’s angelic voice called out to them,

“Ok, all done!”

The youngsters voice got closer as she padded towards them and Kirishima finally lifted his flour dusted hands. Yokozawa scrubbed the irritating powdery remnants from his face and finally opened his eyes, hearing a nonchalant apology roll off his lover’s tongue. The beta felt emotion overwhelm him as murky grey fixated on one of his favorite dishes (pregnancy cravings), that rested on the coffee table in front of him. It was a carefully prepared Japanese custard pudding, something he’d made multiple times as dessert for Hiyo and for himself…

“Thanks Hiyo, it looks perfect.” Yokozawa’s voice wavered momentarily with sentiment, as he realized that she’d made this just for him out of kindness of her pure heart. The beta stifled his tears, _damn mood-swings_ , and remembered Kirishima’s flour coated hands.

“Oi, why are your hands covered with flour?” The raven demanded wearily, knowing that pudding required no such ingredient, afraid to look up at the kitchen which was likely in shambles.

“Ah, that…” Kirishima trailed off, rising from the couch to wander into the kitchenette where he’d slaved for the past half hour.

“I tried to make you Yoku-Moku, but…” The alpha placed a plate of burnt, crispy rolled cookies on the low table gingerly, as if they would turn to dust. Yokozawa leaned forward to inspect the ‘confection’ noticing that _some_ of them looked edible and picked one up out of curiosity, bringing it up to his mouth hesitantly. Kirishima eyed his every move and expression as he tasted the treat he’d attempted to make. The crunchy butter cookie was surprisingly sweet and had a good, thin consistency…they’d done all this for him…

Yokozawa abruptly halted his chewing, and drew a shaky hand up to shield his face from view as fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. A faint whimper doused the quiet room that waited with baited breath, prompting the alpha to perk up with interest

“W-was it really that bad!?” The brunette inquired worriedly, as he watched warm droplets slip down his lover’s pale skin.

The beta shook his head side-to-side in answer, and swiftly surged forward to burrow into the alpha’s chest. Kirishima dazedly wrapped his arms around the raven after gaining his previously shocked composure, and signaled his daughter to join their hug. Hiyo didn’t hesitate and clung to her Onii-chans back as his body shook with sobs.

What did ever do to deserve such a kind caring lover and daughter?

_Daughter…_

That was the first time he’d ever thought of Hiyori as his daughter.

\----

After gulping down his pudding and the rest of the edible pieces of Kirishima’s cookie rolls, Yokozawa crawled into bed early, deciding to skip out on dinner. He wasn’t surprised in an hour or two, when Kirishima to joined him after he had eaten dinner with Hiyo to climb in next to him. Of course, the raven hadn’t slept in the couple hours he’d spent to himself, he had _far_ too much on his mind, and agonized over it too much to settle down.

“What’s wrong my love?”

The beta tensed up and felt his breath leave him all at once. So he _had_ noticed…

The alpha reached out beneath the sheet to stroke up and down his hip, sliding the waistband of his sweatpants down to get a feel of soft skin. Yokozawa allowed the brunette’s palm to soothingly caress his hip bone, and took deep breaths to clear his head. He couldn’t keep anything from this man, he was always able to read him like a book. Well, he _did_ wear his heart on his sleeve.

“I-I’m scared.” The raven admit despairingly, holding back a heart-wrenching sob, he felt so vulnerable all of a sudden.

“Of what?” Kirishima kept his voice low and soft so as to not worry him any further.

“Being a parent.” His words were broken and harsh, burning his throat as he spoke the truth that had been plaguing him for weeks.

The alpha hummed in thought and moved his hand to explore the skin of his stomach which he’d touched many times.

“Why’s that?”

Being a parent was a terrifying thought to anyone, but there had to be one or two things on the raven’s mind that really bugged him.

“I-I don’t want to let them down…I’m afraid I’m not g-good enough.” Yokozawa whispered into the dark, his voice raw with emotion.

“Takafumi, you do such a good job taking care of my little girl, I see how much you care for her. You could never let either of us down, you’re careful and nurturing, that’s just who you are.” Kirishima praised, rubbing his hand in circular motions over his lover’s abdomen.

“But what if I fuck everything up?” The beta muttered brokenly, unable to hold back the watery sorrow threatening in his eyelids. He was never good enough for anyone, what made him qualified to raise a child?

“Everyone makes mistakes, that’s just being a parent. You live and learn, that’s the way of life. You can’t be scared of what the future might hold, you just have to accept that you won’t know until you’re living it.” The alpha supplied knowledgably, flipping his lover over to face him and gingerly brush away his tears before continuing to speak,

“Besides, you won’t be alone, I’ll be with you. I _have_ been with you, every step of the way.” Kirishima promised, kissing a tearstained cheek.

“You are my everything, you will _always_ be perfect for me and Hiyo, I can’t get enough of you. We’ll never let you go Takafumi I promise.” Burning amber glittered passionately in the moonlight that bled through the clear window, the alpha’s words a sealing oath. Yokozawa made a pitiful noise in the back of his throat when his words failed him, and ducked away from his mate in shame. The brunette was having none of it, and forcefully turned him over to lay on his back while towering over him.

“You are the love of my life, anyone would be lucky to have you as their parent.” Kirishima swore up and down, refusing to allow his lover to break their expressive eye-contact. The raven finally tipped his head to nod slowly as salty tears slid over his cheekbones, the trails reflecting the soft light cast from the moon peeking through the window. Yokozawa felt the strength gather in his arms to pull the alpha into a breath-stealing hug, gasping raggedly as he continued to voice his sorrow harshly into the quiet room. Kirishima felt his lover’s fingers digging into his shoulder blades, clinging onto the only real thing before him as his world shattered, when he finally realized,

_He’s loved_

It felt _so good_ to be loved, he’d been so happy he hadn’t even noticed.

After Yokozawa had expelled each emotionally-muddled teardrop he had, he eventually evened his breathing. What had he been thinking? His child would be shown the same love that Hiyo and Kirishima graced upon him. He felt so stupid for agonizing over such a matter, as his mate’s arms tightly embraced him with all he had. Gentle lips kissing every inch of his skin into the early hours of the morning.

\----

“Mrow!”

Hazy grey blinked open to be met with a vast expanse of black & white fur paired with glittering yellow eyes. The critter folded its arms to lay solidly on his chest, continuing to stare unblinkingly at heavy-lidded eyes, the animals purring roaring through his bones.

“Agh!”

The raven jerked upwards when the creature reached a paw forward to swat at his face, scaring the poor hissing feline away. Yokozawa, now fully awake, mumbled an apology to his dear pet that trot out of the room moodily, while scrubbing a hand over his face.

“Aw Sorata, why did you have to wake him up?” Hiyori pouted from outside the cracked bedroom door, the smell of sugar and syrup curling into the room. The aroma agitated the beta’s empty stomach, urging him to swing his legs out of the sheets trapping in his body heat. The beta noticed a chill creep over his exposed skin and blushed when he looked down to see his naked chest. He haphazardly threw on his discarded shirt that was kicked under the sheets and sighed, hoping that the 12-year old parading herself about the apartment early in the morning hadn’t seen him. When Yokozawa noticed Kirishima’s absence he creaked the door open to peek out into the living room only to be met with a flustered Hiyo.

“Ah! Onii-chan get back in bed!” the youngster threatened as menacingly as she could with her sweet voice and innocent brown eyes.

“Huh?”

The 12-year old didn’t wait to forcefully push her heavy, beloved friend back through the door-frame, with the same stubborn strength as her father. Yokozawa stumbled dazedly, as tiny arms continued to shove him towards the centered mattress in the middle of the room.

“Don’t get out of bed. Ok?” was the last thing Hiyo ordered of him before the door swung gently shut.

The beta blinked slowly in confusion. Why wasn’t he allowed to get out of bed? The raven looked around the room for something to distract himself with, and sighed when met with no luck. After about 10 minutes of picking at his nails, and looking over his tummy the door finally swung open again. Yokozawa looked up, ready to give his alpha a piece of his mind when all speech failed him.

There stood angelic Hiyori, balancing a tray that held a stack of fluffy Belgian waffles, topped with fresh berries. looks like she was already making use of the wedding gift that he’d pawned off to her, a simple mint-green waffle maker. Kirishima was standing behind her, holding a pitcher of orange juice and a clear glass. The youngster carefully shuffled forward to set the tray in his blanket covered lap. The raven huffed a sigh as he fondly smiled at the meal Hiyo’s tiny hands delicately prepared for him.

“You really didn’t have to do this…” He was at a loss for words, the youngster’s generosity always left him baffled.

“But I heard Onii-chan crying last night, so I wanted to make something even better than pudding! Papa even helped me make the orange juice.” The 12-year old blinked shamelessly, gesturing at her clumsy father who grinned sheepishly behind her. She seemed to forget that ‘papa’ had slipped out, it would probably stick for a while, it was a tough habit to break.

Yokozawa sucked in a breath. _No. he would **not** cry again._

“Thank you, it’s perfect…How about we do something today?” The beta suggested, digging his fork into the syrup drenched confection to distract himself from the saltwater stinging at his eyes. It was the weekend after all, the least he could do in return for the 12-year old’s kindness is offer a fun day together.

“Like what?” Hiyo tilted her head to the side curiously. Now that he thought about it that was a difficult question, it’s not like they could go to the beach or have a picnic, it was too damn cold outside.

“Hmm, oh! Let’s go see an Ice show.” Kirishima proposed, clapping his fist against his open palm in declaration. Ah right, the alpha had mentioned that on their train-ride back home yesterday, he’d been wanting to bring Hiyo there. Apparently, it took place in Kuma Park as part of their winter-themed festival.

“What’s that?” The youngster questioned eagerly, bouncing on her feet with excitement.

“Ice-skater’s in costumes perform stunts, and there’s an ice sculpture contest, one of my authors was talking about visiting the other day.” Kirishima recalled matter-of-factly while scratching at his chin in thought.

“That sounds so fun! What do you think Onii-chan?” Hiyo turned to her beloved friend for approval with twinkly brown eyes.

“Sure, let’s eat and then we can get ready.” Yokozawa replied, offering a soft smile in hopes to ease up his harsh demeanor. The raven caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror next to the dresser, and who was he kidding? Nobody could pair him with a threatening demeanor with that bed-head!

Kirishima smirked knowingly and scooped up the not empty plate, sticky with the remnants of the sugary maple syrup.

“Feel like seconds?” The alpha asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“Am I still under bed-arrest?” Yokozawa shot back, with a raised brow, to which he got a chuckle in response.

“Nah it’s been lifted, come join us at the table will you~”

The beta frowned and swung an arm out to elbow him in the side before the clever brunette could make his escape.

“That hurt! So feisty in the morning…” Kirishima pouted as he stalked out of the room before he could get a kick to the shin.

\----

“Wow! There’s so many people here!” Hiyo exclaimed in awe as they stood in the line to the entrance of the theme park.

“Mhm.” Yokozawa replied, lazily watching people enter and leave through the gates, creating a scene of winter chaos. He’d forgotten his gloves in the car and rather than going back to get them, consumed by his pride, he stubbornly walked ahead hoping his pockets would suffice. The beta unconsciously brought his chilled fingers up to heat them with a gust of warm breath against the cool, morning air. Winter was not a season to be reckoned with, he realized as he yanked his frozen hands out of his pockets in search of warmth for the fourth time. Kirishima, so observant was he, noticed this after his number of attempts to heat his hands up and snapped out his gloved own to tightly grip his wrists.

“Where are your gloves?” The alpha demanded, instinctively slipping into dad-mode while looking over his pale fingers.

“Forgot em’.” The agitated Yokozawa snapped in return trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

“You idiot.” Kirishima sighed, forcefully tugging his lovers trapped hands upwards to blow on them, while rubbing his gloved palms rapidly against the frigid skin to create a warm current.

“Shit, your hands are freezing.”

“Don’t think I know that?!” The raven was brushing brightly and looked around nervously, he didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention and cursed himself for his outburst. The beta pulled and tugged in an effort to slip free, this was embarrassing as hell!

“Hm? Onii-chan where are your gloves?” Hiyo asked, completely overlooking the way her father grasped his hands in an intimate manner. The commotion had made her turn around to see what the fuss was about.

“He forgot them.” Kirishima sighed in annoyance, his warm breath a puff of white in the crisp, frigid air.

“I have an idea! Just give him one of your gloves and hold his other hand, my friends and I do that all the time.” Hiyo suggested, recalling the many times she’d forgotten to pack her gloves in a rush to meet up with Yuki-chan so they could walk to school. The fluffy earmuffs she wore complimented her already adorable, innocent expression.

“ _Great idea_ Hiyo!” Amber eyes sparkled mischievously and, without hesitation, the alpha was taking his right-glove off to offer it to his lover.

“O-oi-“

“We can’t have you catching a cold~” Kirishima sing-songed, all the while slipping his loaned glove onto his lover’s right hand, not forgetting to tightly grip his left to keep it equally warm.

“Let go!” The beta hissed, he was already getting weird looks as it was with a grown man and young child that looked nothing like him…

It was bad enough that his bear-like demeanor drew people’s attention, along with the charming alpha at his side!

“Calm down, there’s too many people so no one will notice.” The brunette replied smugly, squeezing his now warm hand even tighter as the crowd inched forward in line.

\----

Their outing at the park lasted nearly all day with Hiyori dragging her pair of bears behind her, not that Yokozawa would complain, being in the youngster’s company instantly melted away all of his stress as he focused on making her happy. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, the mere presence of Kirishima had an identical effect.

The first thing they did was take their customary picture offered at the front entrance, with polar-themed, mascot cartoon bears. As Hiyo fussed excitedly over the photo, Yokozawa couldn’t help but notice his left hand which was firmly gripped in Kirishima’s right, the tips of his ears bright red while Hiyori posed with her go-to peace signs. The way she leaned slightly to the left, allowed the small window to see the couple’s joined hands behind her, but the most heart-warming detail of all was the way Kirishima looked at not the camera, but _him._ With all of the love in the world, that striking amber gaze was fixated on him…

_“Look! Onii-chan’s face is bright red, he must be so cold!” Hiyo pointed out as she noticed the way he blushed furiously, frozen in time with the father-daughter duo._

_“Haha, you’re right!” Kirishima teased, poking at the photo for emphasis._

_“ **Shut up** , It’s because I’m cold!” The raven denied indignantly, crossing his arms across his chest with a scowl painted on his face._

The other partial fraction of the day was spent on buying tickets, and the viewing of an ice-skating show, which left the trio amazed along with the audience.

_“That girl’s dress was so pretty! I wish I could dance like that!” Hiyori sung the performers’ praise, a particular one’s dress caught her eye, leaving her to gush over their fashion choice._

_“Hmm, you can dance just fine without ice-skates~” The alpha at her side replied, grasping her delicate arm to persuade her to do a twirl._

_“Pa- I mean father, stop being such a doting parent!” The youngster giggled after spinning around just once._

_“I wonder, does onii-chan wanna try too?” Kirishima questioned the beta at his side, who’s hand he still stubbornly clung to, threatening to lift that very connected arm._

_“Q-Quit screwing around! Oh, Hiyo there’s the hot chocolate.” Yokozawa pushed the topic aside, pointing towards the steaming stand topped with a large coffee cup statue, hoping to distract the group with the promise of a warm beverage to heat their chilled bodies._

Finally, after seeing the performance and grabbing a hot drink, Kirishima pulled his daughter and lover along to view the ice-sculptures, an area which they almost got kicked out of:

_“Father, I don’t think you’re supposed to touch them.” Hiyo warned, tugging on the alpha’s sleeve after reading the many signs around her_

_“S’fine.” Kirishima waved her off, continuing to childishly run his gloved hand over each smoothly crafted artwork, and instantly got flagged down by a park employee nearby._

_“Sir! Please don’t touch the ice-sculptures!” The staff member warned, pointing at the signs with importance._

All in all, it was an eventful day, but it left Yokozawa feeling content. It was a very nice feeling for once, and when he felt an all too familiar phantom kick punching in his stomach, the only emotion that bothered him was pure _joy_. A very different, but appreciated change from agony, and fear…

“Let’s watch a movie when we get home!” Hiyo cheered while she skipped ahead of her father and Onii-chan in the theme-park’s parking lot.

“Ok, but you have to promise it won’t be the same one you always watch.” Kirishima bargained with his angelic daughter, not wanting to have to relive another hour and a half of watching a princess that can speak to fairy tale creatures…

“Deal!”

Yokozawa glanced over at the new theme-park picture Kirishima temporarily propped against a vase that rested between his photo collection of their outings as he stepped through the door, shrugging off his snow dusted coat. He really felt like he was a part of something special…

“Ok! I’ll make the popcorn, Hiyo pick out a movie.” The alpha shouted from the kitchenette, watching his daughter sit herself in front of the DVD shelf to look through her options. The youngster sat on the vinyl wood flooring long after the popcorn had finished cooking, her eyes repeatedly scanning over the colorful selection of titles. Only one, very familiar movie case seemed to catch her eye…

_They ended up watching Hiyo’s favorite movie._

_\----_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! We're running out of months for the little one now! See you all soon, and thanks again for supporting my story :)  
> -Peachy


	23. Cramps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back with a new chapter for you guys! It's a bit shorter than the last few, but I've got another one in progress so I'm hoping to upload that soon as well! Please enjoy and let me know what you think :)  
> -Peachy

Soft purring rumbled off the walls of the quiet, 3-bedroom apartment as a black feline, nestled in the comfort of Yokozawa Takafumi’s lap who was serenely sipping on a mug of hot tea. The beta was currently busying himself with reading an email from Henmi, a briefing of what’s going on in sales while he’s away on prolonged ‘maternity leave’. _Just thinking that title made the raven feel strange…_

‘BZZZT’

The purring creature startled awake and jumped off the raven’s lap to climb onto the cat-tree in front of the window for some afternoon sun. Yokozawa frowned a scooped up his buzzing cell, reading the caller ID as Kirishima. The beta took a deep breath, preparing for a sickeningly sweet greeting as soon as he pressed that green button-

The roaring sounds of frantic editors flooded his ears and the beta immediately pushed the phone away from his face in annoyance and shock.

_“Yokozawa! Sorry to bug you like this, but can you please do me a_ huge _favor and bring me the manuscript I left on the table?”_ Kirishima’s voice pleaded desperately over the bustling crowd around him.

The raven took one look down at himself and frowned,

“You want me to show up at the office looking like this?”

It’s not like he looked bad per-se, just…parading himself about the office while being seven and a half months pregnant didn’t seem too appealing, especially after considering the fact that he took extra leave _, early_ , to avoid that very scenario.

_“Sorry, you’re the only one I can ask, see you when you get here!”_

“OI-“

The dial tone cut him short, leaving him with no choice but to grudgingly follow his lover’s request. Honestly, couldn’t he be a little more responsible? He still had his own work to do…

Yokozawa heaved himself up from the couch and padded into his bedroom in search of some baggy clothes.

“let’s see here…” The raven muttered to himself while digging through various articles of clothing, finally pulling out a pair of faded, black jogger sweatpants, and a baggy, grey pullover that would hopefully hide his growing tummy. He _hated_ leaving the house looking like he’d just woken up, but he’d rather do that than proudly display his rather noticeable baby bump. Although, the raven did get pretty lucky having a smaller than average tummy than what he’s seen throughout his life, making it easier to pass it off as merely extra weight if the situation ever called for it.

Yokozawa snatched up the car keys from the small bowl that resided on the little display table near the door, that housed their ‘family’ pictures.

\----

“Kirishima-san! My author isn’t picking up, but her manuscript is due today! What should I do!?” A frightened editor consoled his trusty boss for advice.

“Kirishima-san can you please proof this for me?” another voice called from beside him, persistently tapping at a hefty stack of papers.

“ _Kirishima-san-“_

The alpha pressed his fingers to his temple and heaved a sigh as his underlings flocked around him, seeking moral support… _not good_ , they were completely swamped today, and worst of all he’d forgotten one of the most important things at home this morning! Though he didn’t have to worry, he had the fate of those papers in the hands of his very capable lover who should be here any minute-

‘Ding’

The elevator chimed and Kirishima hopefully poked his head up, anticipating the sight of his pregnant mate walking through those doors, only to be met with disappointment upon the revelation of the khaki uniform clothing the vending machine stocker…

The high demand editor-in-chief swiveled around in his chair to assist his distressed employees one by one. He could get through this, they always have in the past, he just needs to apply a lot of patience and very little forgiveness when it came to their sassy authors.

About a half hour had passed and the alpha was beginning to grow worried, resorting to chewing on his pen, he forgot tell him to take his car so maybe the subway had a delay? Kirishima tapped the mangled end of his pen against the desk in a never-ending rhythm of anxiety whilst bouncing his knee beneath his desk.

“Yokozawa-san?”

Bright amber lit up upon seeing his wild bear step onto his floor, holding in his arms the very documents he’d asked for and…what’s this?

“Here, I decided to grab you some lunch while I was out…” The raven muttered awkwardly, setting a takeout bag gingerly onto his desk after handing him the large envelope, the smell of freshly prepared food piqued his interest and instantly straightened to take a look.

“Thanks honey~” The alpha chirped cheerfully, while peeking into the plastic covering his takeout to inspect the contents.

“No problem.” Yokozawa waved, turning on his heel to leave, when he was suddenly jerked back forcefully by an outstretched arm.

He had to admit, the movement hurt his joints a bit and he turned around to give the perpetrator a piece of his mind,

“What the _hell_ -“

“Ah, sorry, come with me for a minute.” Kirishima apologized nonchalantly, continuing to tug on his lover’s elbow as he took long strides towards the nearest, (luckily empty), break room.

“No funny business.” The beta snapped, laying down his boundaries as they finally stepped into the very room which Kirishima dragged him into. The alpha replied by putting his hands up in innocence, and deciding that was enough, Yokozawa heard him out gesturing with an impatient palm to ‘spit it out’,

“You really saved my ass back there.” Kirishima mumbled, guiltily rubbing at his neck, the raven noticing a light pink dusting his cheeks. ‘Was this guy _seriously_ embarrassed?’

“Like I already said, it wasn’t a big deal.” Yokozawa replied, beginning to feel a flush creeping up his neck as he was thanked a second time.

“And I really appreciate the lunch.”

“Alright I get it already!” The beta hissed in annoyance and a little embarrassment, folding his arms across his chest. It was just a whim after all…

The alpha surged forward without any warning yanked his mate into a tight embrace. Heat rose to the raven’s face upon realizing that _anyone_ could walk by and see them, urging him to push his arms weakly at the brunette’s chest. But to no avail, Kirishima resumed his strong grasp, leaning his head down to inhale the sweet scent wafting from his lover’s neck. Yokozawa shuddered when he felt a hand rustling beneath his sweatshirt, the warm palm burning a smoldering brand against his rounded abdomen finally snapped him out of his stupor.

“OI, WHAT THE HELL DID I TELL YOU!?” The enraged Yokozawa barked as his margins of ‘conversation’ were crossed, thumping a harsh fist atop the brunette’s head in retaliation to the public display of affection.

“Ouch!” Kirishima hissed in pain, nursing the crown of his head as Yokozawa stalked past him, tugging down on the hem of his shirt to ensure his skin wasn’t showing. Even though the baggy pullover reached past his waist, he still felt self-conscious.

“Work hard, Hiyo and I will be waiting for you…” The beta muttered awkwardly, gripping the doorframe for moral support as he forced the honeyed farewell off of his tongue. Before Kirishima could advance on him again, Yokozawa hurriedly slammed the door shut behind him, wincing when he heard a ‘thump’ against the hardwood. ‘That idiot probably ran into the door’ The raven thought as he set a fast pace towards the elevator in escape.

\----

“I’m home~” Hiyo called out merrily while struggling out of her winter boots at the doorstep, giggling when Sorata rushed to greet her, mewling for attention.

“Welcome home.” Yokozawa replied, poking his head out of the bathroom. Seems like he’d just gotten out of the shower, seeing the evident damp strands clinging to his face.

“Is Father back yet?” She asked curiously, glancing around the room as she stepped into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

“Ah, no he’s gonna work a bit late tonight, how about we make some dinner after we do your homework?” Yokozawa forced the lump in his throat down, upon realization of how much he sounded like a _housewife_ just then. While it did stab at his pride to play that role, the raven often found himself too lost in the domestic bliss to care.

“Okay!” Hiyo smiled brightly, setting down her glass on the counter to disappear in the entryway, returning with the small stack of take-home assignments from her pink backpack. The youngster noticed, after a hasty step, that she almost slipped on the friction between her socks and the vinyl wooden planks beneath her feet. Excitement bubbled in the 12-year old’s chest, and she took a few careless strides to slide with purpose once again, Yokozawa noticing from his peripheral while toweling his hair and tensing up in fear.

“Whoops!” The youngster yelped as she skid on her heel and went flying backward, underestimating the slickness of the floor that her Onii-chan had polished that afternoon.

“Hiyo!” Yokozawa shouted in a fit of anxiety, snapping out a hand as if he could catch her, when suddenly, he felt a phantom cramping pain in his lower abdomen. The beta winced and lowered his arm to clutch at his stomach in discomfort, counting down mentally for the ache to pass.

“I’m ok Onii-chan!” Hiyo assured from her sitting position on the floor cheerfully, scratching at her loose ponytail with a bright grin.

Yokozawa heard the 12-year old’s voice calling distantly and snapped out of his trance, standing from his bowled over stance to meet her eyes.

“Onii-chan?” The youngster asked worriedly, her brows pinched in concern after noticing where his hand rested on his abdomen.

“M’fine let’s get started on your homework.” The beta replied, tousling her hair and taking a seat at the table. ‘It was just a cramp, no need to worry about it.’ _Maybe it was something he ate…_

And with that in mind, Yokozawa threw himself into helping Hiyo with her math. ‘How do they multiply fractions again?’ He thought, his eyes scanning over the jumbled numbers piled atop each other.

\----

Kirishima groaned tiredly as he stepped through his front door, kicking off his loafers sluggishly and peeling off the cumbersome coat. The alpha pressed a couple fingers to his pounding temple, he had a serious headache and his throat felt sore…probably from barking orders at his disorganized department all day.

’I can’t get sick now.’ Kirishima stubbornly fought away even the _thought_ of falling ill during the end of the cycle. He couldn’t let his subordinates down, being the trusty editor-in-chief of the issue ‘Japun’.

The smell of fresh chicken katsu curry wafted through the air, reaching the brunettes nose, sending his famished stomach into a frenzy. Kirishima stepped through the short hallway to look at the clock, it was 10 pm…

“Welcome home father!” An apron clad Hiyo exclaimed, flying into the alpha’s arms.

“I’m back~, but shouldn’t you be asleep young lady?” Kirishima scolded light-heartedly, patting her head softly. He loved seeing his daughter’s angelic face when he got home from a long day at work, but he also had to keep strict rules about bed time to ensure she stayed healthy and energetic as a child should be.

“I wanted to see you before I went to bed! Onii-chan helped me with my homework and- EH!? Father why is there a bandage on your forehead?” The youngster questioned with concern, after noticing the white, gauze, adhesive bandage taped to his head.

“Ah- I ran into a pole.” The brunette replied casually while rubbing at his neck as his daughter fussed over his minor injury.

Yokozawa overheard their conversation and smirked, ‘yeah he definitely ran into the door-”

“Urk!“

The beta dropped the plate he’d been drying and clutched at his stomach as another (the fourth one that night), stronger cramping pain coursed through his lower abdomen, while yelping in distress. Steel grey clenched shut in concentration as he lowered his head, and gripped the counter to stable himself. ‘Just wait. it will pass.’ he told himself, trembling as the pain continued to stab in the same region.

“Takafumi?”

Yokozawa heard a distorted voice calling his name but shook it off, continuing to focus on the cramp that began to subside.

“Onii-chan?”

“Hey, Takafumi!” Kirishima reached a hand out to clench his shaky mate’s shoulder in alarm while repeating his name with a shout.

The beta sighed in relief as the ache blessedly passed and straightened his back,

“I’m fine, it’s just some cramps from something I ate.” The raven waved the worried Kirishima’s off and proceeded his dish-washing duty. Kirishima didn’t seem convinced and tightly gripped his wrists that were drenched with soapy dishwater, eyeing him with suspicion.

“Cramps?” The alpha repeated the word aloud skeptically, that couldn’t be good.

“Mm.” Yokozawa hummed in response as he yanked his hands away, murky water sloshing up his arms when picking up the final dish to dry it off.

“You sure you’re alright?” Kirishima continued to pester his lover despite the migraine that stormed in his head.

“Don’t worry about me, eat your dinner before it gets cold.”

“Ok…”

“Goodnight father, Onii-chan!” Hiyo chirped as she hugged each of them tightly, before padding off to her room with a dainty yawn.

“Ah, I’ll tuck you in.” The alpha hollered after his daughter but got interrupted with her annoyed ‘teenager’ voice,

“Jeez I’m not a little kid, you should eat your dinner!” The 12-year old pouted in embarrassment as she shut her sticker-decorated bedroom door behind her. Kirishima slumped, and dejectedly pulled up a chair at the dinner table, frowning as he picked up his chopsticks.

“My little girl is growing up too fast…” The brunette moped as he shoveled a bite of savory chicken into his mouth while Yokozawa set a can of chilled beer in front of his plate.

“You should be happy, you’ve raised her well.” The raven praised as he sat down across from him, sipping from a glass of oolong tea.

Kirishima poked his head up and smirked,

“Of course I’m happy, I just don’t want us to drift apart.”

“Idiot, she sings your praise _constantly_ , just spend the time that you can with her. She’ll always love you, she’s your kid after all.” Yokozawa snorted as he set his glass back onto the table with a thump.

“Mmm you’re right, and I still have another little one to raise…” The alpha replied lazily after he finished the last bite of his curry that his angelic daughter, and adorable lover had cooked just for him. The beta nod stiffly in response and slid out of his chair to get some sleep, he could feel another phantom twinge in his abdomen coming up.

“I’m off to bed, I trust you can clean your dishes.”

“Night~”

Yokozawa shut the bedroom door behind him, shrugging off his casual clothes to trade them for sleepwear, and crawl into the cozy sheets. The sound of the tap running from the kitchen leaked under the crack of the door, serving to lull the raven to sleep while resting his inky locks on Kirishima’s pillow-

“Ugh!”

Yokozawa gasped in pain as a stabbing spasm shuddered through his abdomen once again, and curled in on himself, wrapping his arms tightly around his torso.

“Takafumi?”

A faint whimper of response rose from beneath the heavy blankets he’d buried himself under, and Kirishima stepped over to yank the linens away in concern. Sensing his distress from the kitchen, the alpha had dropped everything he was doing to give in to his instincts, and comfort the beta, who trembled as shooting pain traveled through his low belly.

“Hey, you’re obviously not alright, we need to go to the hospital.” The brunette whispered, soothingly pulling his hand through his hair knocking the limbs that were curling around his middle protectively, away to help him up.

“N-no it’s fine, just some cramps.” Yokozawa insisted, batting his lover’s persistent grasp away that tried to get a hold of his arms. He was sick of hospitals.

Dark amber narrowed in the dim lighting of the bedroom, eyeing the bead of sweat ran down the raven’s forehead, and the brunette only strengthened his advances.

“Why the hell are you so damn stubborn?” Kirishima hissed when he finally, successfully, lifted the beta off of the mattress to cradle him in his arms. The room spun for a moment when he demonstrated his strength, but shook away the dizzy haze that swept over his vision, this wasn’t about him right now.

“Hiyo sweetie, I gotta take your Onii-chan to the hospital, I’m gonna drop you off at grandma’s ok?” The alpha called out from the living room after swinging his dozing daughter’s door open, glancing at the clock nervously while swiping his car keys from the counter that Yokozawa had discarded earlier.

“What?” Hiyo yawned tiredly, her bleary eyes making out a morphed silhouette figure in the doorframe as light from outside spilled in, casting a show over their features. The youngster’s heart calmed after blinking away the sleepy fog to reveal that it wasn’t the monster, she’d seen on the aired horror special with her Onii-chan last week, but the raven himself curled up in her father’s arms.

“What’s wrong?” the pajama clad 12-year old questioned, as she crawled out of bed to slip a random pair of shoes on.

“He has a stomach ache.” Kirishima supplied his young, sleepy daughter while she opened the front door for him, seeing his hands were otherwise occupied with supporting his heavy lover. A vibration reverberated through the brunette’s chest when Yokozawa started to groan, after another wave of stabbing pain washed through his lower abdomen while they waited in the elevator.

‘Guess this is round two.’ The alpha told himself bitterly with a frown, all the while steering the rumbling vehicle, he’d safely buckled his family into, against the lamp-lit street.

\----

“Braxton hicks contractions?” Yokozawa experimentally repeated the words like a foreign language that the cheerful, night-shift doctor had just diagnosed in a heartbeat after a thorough sonogram.

“Yup! You’re in the third trimester now, so, your body is preparing for the labor process with false contractions. These spasms are harmless, and normally don’t last very long, but they can be awfully painful and irregular, causing quite a scare for many first-time parents.”

While it was true Kirishima had a daughter of his own, pregnancy was still a fairly unfamiliar topic for him. Afterall, it was nearly 12 years ago when he began that chapter of his life, and could only remember vague pregnancy symptoms like cravings and morning sickness. The alpha let out a breath he felt like he’d been holding since he buckled his daughter in to drop her off at his mother’s house.

The woman welcomed her grandchild with open arms and shooed her son away to get to the nearest hospital, only for the couple to be assured it was an almost expected pregnancy symptom. Yokozawa felt a bit stupid for not educating himself with any parenting books, but it was mortifying enough to take even a look at one of the titles ‘Baby and Me’ that had him running away before he could even lift a page.

“Now here’s where it gets a bit tricky, sometimes these contractions can be worse than others, but taking anti-inflammatories, this late in your pregnancy can cause complications for you and the baby. If you find the pain unbearable, I suggest getting more exercise or laying down comfortably to wait for them to pass. You eventually get used to it, but for now just keep doing what you are to ease the discomfort.” The doctor explained wordily, lending him a small complimentary booklet that addressed many Braxton hicks concerns.

“If you have any questions that the booklet can’t answer, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thanks.” Kirishima politely expressed his gratitude, shaking the medic’s hand. The room began to swim again and though he tried to hide the way his eyes fogged up by shaking his head, Yokozawa noticed.

\----

“Fa…ther…?”

“Kiri….san…?”

Kirishima sensed two different, familiar voices calling out to him, but squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance, burrowing his aching head further beneath the comforter. The alpha gasped and shot upright when a damp, freezing cloth was pressed to his forehead. As The brunette’s chest heaved with quick breaths he noticed-

“You’re wheezing.” Yokozawa remarked at his side, continuing to press the soaked cloth onto his sweat damp skin.

“Hiyo…? What time is it?” The brunettes voice was scratchy and dry, speaking words hurt like sandpaper rubbing at his throat. Kirishima remembered dropping his daughter off at his mother’s, so what is she doing here?

“Four in the afternoon. She just got back from school, You slept like the dead all day.” The wild bear supplied, gesturing to the digital alarm clock that presented the exact numbers.

“What? Dammit! I gotta get to work.” The alpha grumbled hoarsely, and fought to lift himself from the bed, but the beta on his left had other ideas and pinned him down with a flat palm to his chest. Damn. He had to be pretty sick if the beta surpassed him with reflex and physical strength…

Under the pressure of Yokozawa’s splayed hand, Kirishima struggled to take in even breaths as his chest heaved with effort from harboring a high temperature.

“Hiyo, what does the thermometer say?” The raven asked, continuing his task of soaking up the fever burning the surface of his lover’s skin.

“37 degrees Celsius” The youngster read the digital numbers aloud, making the alpha groan with irritation. Yokozawa clicked his tongue and stood up to get some medicine, offering a glass of water a and few small, white capsules to treat flu symptoms.

“You’ve got a fever; how many times have I told you to take care of yourself?” The beta chided as he lifted the glass to his alpha’s lips, after placing the caplets on his tongue to swallow.

“I can’t get sick now, it’s the end of the cycle.” Kirishima whined petulantly after gulping down the lukewarm water and medicine.

“They’re your underlings, I’m sure you’ve trained them well for situations like this.” Yokozawa assured the sick brunette that persisted to chatter about work. Un-focused Almond shined momentarily before the alpha opened his mouth, only causing his lover a headache,

“I can get used to mama bear taking care of me like this~” He rasped with a wry grin, despite the heavy, bright flush clinging to his feverish skin and the wheezing impairing his speech.

“I-Idiot, quit sleep talking.” Was the only quip the beta could stammer out before fleeing the room, leaving Kirishima to drift back off to sleep with help of the anti-inflammatory medicine.

Around two hours later the alpha woke up face to face with ashy grey as Yokozawa leaned over him to replace the damp cloth resting against his sweat-slick skin.

“I brought you some more water,” The beta mumbled as he gestured to the nightstand upon noticing the brunette’s eyes crack open.

“If you think you can eat, Hiyo made you some chicken-noodle soup.”

Kirishima hummed sleepily and felt a cough tickle at the back of his mouth as the friction irritated the inflamed tissue that was his throat. After hacking off to the side of the bed, the alpha settled back down and groaned, swinging a weak arm over his eyes that were decorated with dark circles underneath.

‘He really doesn’t look good.’ Yokozawa thought, feeling a lump of concern stick in his throat as he watched the normally teasing, sly Kirishima submit to the throes of his fever. Sickness was a scary thing, especially when it involved someone you loved deeply, he was just realizing. The raven felt his steeled heart soften in concern and, in a moment of weakness, flicked a gentle palm up to brush away the alpha’s sweat-soaked bangs. The brunette sucked in a hoarse breath and attempted to reply with some needless wisecrack, but Yokozawa shushed him with a bony finger to his dry lips, and leaned down to plant a kiss on his sweaty forehead.

“Gross.” The raven muttered, his voice tinged with light regret as he wiped at his mouth.

“Maybe so--but you…still love me.” Kirishima smirked breathlessly up at his lover who blushed furiously.

“I-I do…” Yokozawa replied honestly, stroking his cheek affectionately, he’d probably forget all of this the next day, the alpha being delirious with illness. So, the beta decided to show some love for once, at least this way it was less embarrassing.

The alpha hummed and blinked away the haze clouding his mind, _he must be dreaming_ , there’s no way Takafumi would kiss him so openly; must be the medicine. At least he could enjoy it for a little while…

“Takafumi.”

“Hm?”

“Say you love me…”

“Why? I already did.”

“I wanna hear it” Kirishima pleaded persistently around a wheeze.

“So damn childish!” Yokozawa snapped, taking a deep breath to prepare the words that were so hard to force off of his tongue,

“I love you Zen...” The raven announced loud enough for it to reach the alpha’s clogged ears, he deserves a little teasing every now and then, he thought with a smirk. Kirishima’s reaction was priceless, his breath hitched and that smug amber widened in shock.

“Say it again.”

“No, you only get to hear it once.”

Kirishima pouted as his mate swiftly exit the room, gingerly closing the door behind him. Oh well, that was going to be filed away in his most precious head-space that held such ‘once in a lifetime’ memories.

\----

“He’s waking up.” A deep voice noted from nearby as Kirishima’s eyelids fluttered open. The alpha was met with a set of bright amber that matched his own, peering into his eyes perceptively,

“How are you feeling father?” The youngster asked around a wide grin.

“I’m all better thanks to you and Yokozawa.” Kirishima chuckled as he sat up to tackle his daughter into a playful hug.

“Haha! Papa that tickles!” Hiyo giggled as her father’s fingers wiggled mercilessly at her sides. The brunette winked secretly at his lover over her tiny shoulder, receiving a flushed scowl in response. Kirishima decided to ease up his ticklish movements that were drawing howls of youthful laughter from his daughter, and released her from his ‘bear-hug’.

“Does Yokozawa want a hug too?” The alpha teased with a brilliant, signature smile, opening his wide arm-span for good measure, watching the raven shift from foot to foot uncomfortably.

That was a difficult question…

No matter how embarrassing it was, Yokozawa often caught himself wishing he were tangled in the other man’s grasp. But the beta was always quick to deny it, even though Kirishima could easily see it written on his face,

“Breakfast is on the table, if you’re up for it.” The raven muttered, completely dodging the alpha’s snide comment. The brunette frowned, unhappy with his lover’s reaction, oh well he could always get back at him later…

“I’m _starving,_ what did you two make for me?” Kirishima asked the 12-year old still resting on the poufy duvet, covered mattress, which reminded Yokozawa that he needed to do laundry. The alpha had nearly spent two day’s covered in a constant sheen of sweat beneath those sheets…just the thought made him shiver with disgust.

“Eww! You smell, go take a shower!” Hiyo complained, pinching her nose to block her sense of smell.

Kirishima lifted a limb to get a whiff of his underarm and cringed, she wasn’t joking.

“You’re right, but I’m still feeling faint, maybe Yokozawa should help me shower…” The brunette trailed off, a mischievous glint dancing through his almond iris’. The beta snorted at this, and merely walked out of the room, tired of his lover’s suggestive antics already.

“We’ll keep the food warm for you, so go wash up!” Hiyo ordered, before skipping out of the room to follow her onii-chan to the table, leaving a pouting Kirishima severely disappointed.

When a water drenched foot stepped out of the misty stall, to wander into the bedroom, Kirishima noticed that the bed had already been stripped in the fifteen minutes he’d been in there. The alpha hummed a familiar tune he’d heard on the radio as he toweled his hair sluggishly, still weak from the after effects of his cold.

Upon creaking open the door to amble into the living room, amber eyes noticed his lover and daughter still occupying themselves at the table, his morning meal protected with plastic wrap, droplets of condensation clinging to the surface beneath. Taking a seat, the alpha felt his joints groan in protest as he finally exercised them after a couple days of bed-rest.

“Much better.” Hiyo sighed after catching a whiff of the fresh soapy scent that clung to Kirishima’s damp locks. The alpha rolled his eyes and pat her head affectionately, lifting the plastic that encase his fresh meal to dig in with fervor. Being down with a cold, unable to keep anything down, left him feeling like he hadn’t eaten in _days._

Hiyo and Yokozawa snickered as they watched the brunette practically inhale the food. What’s so funny, to draw even a chuckle from his tsundere lover? When he asked this exact question, the beta across from him tapped at his cheek for a hint. The alpha raised a brow and flicked his tongue out to swipe up the stray pieces of egg that hung off to the side on the corner of his mouth. Hiyo giggled at her father’s sheepish grin and Yokozawa even cracked an amused smile.

_Ah, it was really good to be back to normal, he_ hated _being sick._

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I love you all for supporting and reading my work as I continue to update! Hope to see you soon!  
> -Peachy


	24. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright I'm back with a new chapter! It's a bit long so buckle up :)  
> I can't believe I'm nearing the end hear, thank you all for sticking with me throughout my whim, I really appreciate all of your support!  
> -Peachy

After Yokozawa Takafumi entered his eighth month of pregnancy, Kirishima and his doctor placed him under strict bed and house arrest, confining him to the cozy apartment with his chubby cat as his only source of social interaction during the day. While the beta had no problem with his living conditions with the Kirishimas, he found himself increasingly restless with each passing day, surrounded by the same old things. He was just _itching_ for something to do after he finished cleaning the small flat, which, he wasn’t supposed to be doing, but Kirishima wasn’t there to nag him…

Not only was he restricted to the same space each day, he was also constantly receiving attention from Kirishima. It’s not that he _disliked_ it, but after the alpha wrapped his arms around his belly for the fifth time that morning while rumbling a low growl before he left for work, Yokozawa began to feel his patience wear thin. It took a lot of prodding and reprimanding, just to get the alpha out of the house at sunrise. After all, the man had a job to do, and Yokozawa wasn’t selfish enough to make him stay home. While it did physically hurt to be so far from his mate, Kirishima put up with it for his lover’s sake. He knew that the beta was a grown man, but an alpha’s instincts urged him to stay by his side at all times when he was carrying his child.

Along with his mate’s clinginess, came extreme possessiveness…Each time the raven got a call from work, or from Takano (Just to check on him), Kirishima’s jealousy was rearing its head before the phone’s ringtone could even _sound_. He was starting to get sick of it, he just wanted all of this to be over, he was exhausted, sore, and downright uncomfortable 24/7. Even Hiyori, _a child_ , was fussing over him daily, it was downright embarrassing to be treated like a damsel in distress! The only plus he got out of Kirishima’s stubborn company, besides his affection (not that he would admit it obviously), was how his mimicking contractions seemed to fade just as the brunette settled in to cling to him. It was a blessed release from the phantom aches in his lower abdomen that appeared randomly, Kirishima instantly picking up on his distress and wrapping him in a comforting embrace.

But, no matter how much company his lover and Hiyo provided him in their spare time, Yokozawa still found himself bored, looking to somehow expel his energy other than organizing the space around him. He would be working right now, but Kirishima had even seized his laptop…It just wasn’t like him to laze around, he always had to be doing something. That was one of the reasons he became a salesman in the first place, a desk job just didn’t suit him as well as being on his feet.

Though of course, being in the third trimester of pregnancy, this wasn’t exactly the best option, especially considering the fragile state his body entered as soon as the baby began to develop. Sure, he had a bulky-yet slim figure, but his rank was still unfit for childbearing, especially being a _man_. His frame didn’t possess the feminine stature of that of an omega’s, nor the hormones capable to keep his body in check. He was by _no means_ an omega, and his doctors constantly made this known, urging him to be extra careful with how he took care of himself.

Which was why he’d ordered some of those stupid mother’s guide books online. It was absolutely humiliating to enter his card information in place of purchase for the parenting guidebooks, but he might as well educate himself with what little time he had left before being hurled into the world of parenting. Hiyo was mature enough to care for herself and rely on her own independence for basic necessities, but a baby was a totally different story…

‘KNOCK, KNOCK’

Yokozawa flinched from his lounging position on the couch, as he zoned out with some random soap opera playing in the background, and looked over at the door. He wasn’t expecting his package until tomorrow, was it early?

The beta heaved himself up from the sofa to peek through the peephole to see a delivery person clutching a clip-board, while a moderate sized box rested at his feet. He pried open the door and poked his head out, catching a whiff of the other male’s scent with his sensitive sense of smell. _Not good, this guy was an alpha…_

“Hello sir, are you…Yokozawa Takafumi?” The stranger tested the unfamiliar name on his lips, looking up at the raven hopefully.

“Ah, um yeah.” How should he handle this? The stranger’s smell would definitely linger long after he’s left, and Kirishima would catch his scent on the box…

_’Calm down you idiot, you can just recycle it!’_ The beta reprimanded himself mentally, being confined to the same air of the apartment left his mind clouded, making it hard to think properly. He made a mental note to step out on the balcony for some fresh air later.

“Great! Would you mind printing your signature?” The delivery man asked, tapping the pen again the clip-board.

“Sure.” The raven replied, swiping up the form and pen to sign his name and pass it back to the man.

“Good day.”

The alpha turned to leave, when suddenly, Yokozawa saw him square his shoulders and tense up as he inhaled the air deeply around him. ‘ _Just as he was about to leave…’_ the raven thought, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“Well, well, what’s a beautiful omega like you doing home _alone_ without their alpha?” The stranger whirled around to eye him like prey.

‘Goddammit—just because I smell sweet doesn’t mean I’m an omega!’ The raven cursed mentally with swift fury as he glowered, he _longed_ for his regular scent to come back so this common mistake would stop grating on him and his pride…

“Surely your alpha doesn’t care about you, but _I_ could treat you well baby~” The man cooed as he tried to woo the provoked beta.

“Ugh.” Yokozawa shivered in utter disgust, and moved to slam the door in his face, he could just get his package later-

“Now, now don’t be shy~” The alpha quickly shoved his foot in the crack of the door, preventing the raven from shoving the ajar barrier shut without risk of crushing his bones. But what this man didn’t know, was that agitating the pregnant wild-bear was a minefield; putting anyone in critical risk of his wrath who dared pester him, let alone _flirt_ with him. Yokozawa took a deep breath, steeling himself, from the looks of it this guy was in his early forties, he clearly had no other life than delivering packages and making passes at defenseless, lesser ranks. Deciding to have some pity, and reign in his burning rage, the beta mercifully swallowed it down to calmly tell the guy to back off. After all, the beta knew what it was like to face rejection, and felt that he should consider people’s feelings before he spoke, even if they were low-life pricks…

“I’m not interested.” Yokozawa spoke evenly, the tone of his voice showing evident neutrality while attempting to shut the door, but to no avail, the boot-clad appendage acting as a stopper blocked his way.

“You sure are feisty, I don’t mind a little attitude in bed~”

The beta’s scowl deepened as a surge of pure revulsion pulsed through his very core, not even _thinking_ to know his answer was **no** , just how blunt could this guy be?

“Leave me alone.” Yokozawa warned venomously with finality, applying more pressure against the foot wedged between the frame and the door threateningly.

“You little bitch, I show you mercy for your pitiful life and you treat me like this!? You should know your place _omega_.” The alpha antagonized the now, very pissed off Yokozawa, trying to cover up his embarrassment of rejection by responding with hostility. Just as the unwelcome stranger clenched his fists, and Yokozawa prepared his tongue to spit ‘Fuck off.’ His hand fisted tightly to refrain from delivering a mean, cold slap, A hesitant feminine voice called out his name,

“Yokozawa-san? Is everything alright?” The familiar housewife called out sweetly as she neared his door, the alpha lingering outside, spinning around to face her. _He recognized this voice, it was Yuki-Chan’s Mother._

**“What’s the meaning of this?”** A menacing voice boomed shortly after. Now _that_ vocal pattern he hadn’t familiarized himself with…

“It’s none of your concern.” The delivery alpha spat boldly, holding his ground as heavy footsteps neared him. Yokozawa picked up the second scent of an alpha and realized that this must be Yuki’s father.

“Considering that you aren’t a resident, it is my concern as you disturb the peace, seeing how you pester the other tenants of this building while parading around in that pathetic uniform.”

The delivery man stiffened and his features darkened, when the taller alpha finally invaded his personal space, practically towering over him. The unwelcome stranger grumbled in defeat, deciding this was not worth the trouble and ducked away with his tail between his legs. The beta watched the seemingly fearless alpha rely on his flight instinct like a coward and snort in amusement, some _alpha_ alright…

“T-Thanks for your trouble, but I had it handled…” Yokozawa muttered in embarrassment it bruised his pride a bit, leaning around the door to make sure the guy was really gone before bending down to lift his package. The beta grunted softly as he attempted to heave the box up, the weight aching at his strained back, he ordered quite the collection of novels and guides. Whenever he was serious about something, he always ended up being stubbornly thorough. Though this proved to be quite troublesome to carry as his abdomen began to drop lower while he neared his final month…the thought scared him but also left him relieved. But there had been something on his mind that he refused to dwell on for more than a second or two. The mere idea making him blush from head to toe, a detail he couldn’t help but notice every time his lover caressed his swollen tummy _…_

_No, he wasn’t going to let his attention drift there right now._

“I promised Kirishima-san that I would keep his family safe while he wasn’t around.” The alpha replied beside his wife, the raven pair smiling fondly.

_Just how close was he with Kirishima…?_

Yokozawa felt a wave of annoyance wash over him at his own stupid jealousy. ‘Idiot this guy has his own family, don’t go getting jealous like a teenager!’ The beta reminded himself, he hated being so moody, but he couldn’t help it! His hormones were always going haywire whether he liked it or not.

“Oh dear, let me get that for you, it’s dangerous to lift heavy things when you’re that far along.” Yuki’s mother cooed softly noticing the sweet aroma wafting from the beta’s neck, meaning to reach down to yank the box out of arms reach, only to be stopped by her husband.

“I’ve got it honey.” The raven alpha relieved his mate from lifting the heavy package, she’d just had another child of her own recently…

Feeling a second pang of humiliation tear at his fierce pride, Yokozawa stifled a frown. He was a **_man_** dammit, why couldn’t he lift whatever he damn-well pleased?

“Would you guys like something to drink?” The raven suggested politely as he grudgingly showed his visitors in, he was always so awkward when interacting with Kirishima’s neighbors, even when the couple lived on the floor above them, he couldn’t help but feel jittery in their presence. These people were important to Hiyori and Kirishima so he wanted to make a good impression.

“Ah, we can’t stay for long unfortunately, we’ve got some errands to run while Yuki-Chan’s sister watches my youngest, thank you though. I hope to be blessed with such an opportunity soon.” The woman replied, politely declining the generous offer.

“Anytime.” A small smile tugging at his lips as Yokozawa nodded sincerely.

“Please let us know if you ever need anything.” The raven alpha insisted while they exit the apartment, after setting Yokozawa’s package down on the high table, even going as far as opening it for him. They didn’t want him around sharp things either, which rankled, but after some brooding as the box-cutter sliced through the tape noisily, the beta concluded that they had a fairly _logic_ point.

“Of course, thanks again.” The raven was truly grateful that they showed up when they did, even though it grated at his confidence horribly to acknowledge that they really saved his ass, a pregnant beta was no match for a vicious, forceful alpha. No matter how fearsome the wild-bear could be, he cowered at the threat of a hostile attacker in instinct to protect his unborn child, leaving him to rely on his own alpha to handle such matters most of the time (Not that they happened all too often, since he was _forbidden_ from stepping foot out of the damned building!).

After the couple said their goodbyes, and went on their own way, Yokozawa dragged a chair onto the spacious veranda. It was surprisingly warm for February, but the beta wasn’t about to start complaining as he leafed through the glossy pages of a recent ‘Expecting Mothers’ issue. A light breeze fanned through the air, cooling the raven off as Sorata made himself comfortable at his feet, the smell of fresh print soothing his senses.

\----

Shortly after Hiyori had come home, Kirishima showed his face just as the chef-duo finished up cooking dinner. The alpha looked downright exhausted, but nonetheless draped himself over his lover to shower him with some mutually appreciated, (much needed), affection. Though much to Kirishima’s disappointment, his mate brushed him off, rolling his shoulder while telling him to ‘cut it out.’

Yokozawa’s aching joints pushed him into a soothing warm bath before bed, just another _glorious_ side-effect of pregnancy. Kirishima waltzed casually into the bathroom after the beta had sunk into the warm water sluggishly, waving the book he’d marked earlier with the promise to continue reading. The brunette had just tucked Hiyo in for the night, and chose the perfect moment to provoke his adorable mate, _right_ as the beta was debating on getting out…this guy had some seriously eerie timing.

“What’s this~” The alpha teased merrily, taunting the raven with the picture of a mother snuggling her newborn on the front cover.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Was the only retort Yokozawa could spit out in irritation, as his lover pried curiously.

“Hmm, maybe my eyes are going bad, but is the wild-bear reading a mothers catalogue?” The brunette tormented his mate who had no escape except for the, now lukewarm, water around him.

“ _Shut the hell up._ ” The beta hissed, a shameful flush engulfing his pale face, as he sunk deeper into the tub.

“Aww, it’s nothing to blush over~”

“I’m not! It’s the water!”

But Yokozawa was fooling no one, he quickly realized, when Kirishima slyly dipped his hand in the cooling bathwater for proof after casting the magazine to the side on the bathroom-counter.

“Hmm, are you sure? the water seems awfully cold…”

“That…-!” The beta attempted to chide his lover for mercilessly teasing him, but found himself at a loss for words, biting his tongue in embarrassment. He never knew how to respond in these situations, which was why Kirishima often tugged him into them, knowing he would inevitably have the upper-hand.

“That’s no good, we can’t have you getting sick. How about I warm you up~” Warm amber glinted under the soft bathroom light, as they merrily absorbed the crimson flush on their lover’s skin glow deeper.

“Quit…Fucking around…!” Yokozawa attempted to bat the palms away that brushed against his slick shoulders heatedly. The raven finding his body responding to the man’s touch whether he liked it or not. Clamping down on the last bit of strength he had, Yokozawa roughly pushed the alpha away, and hastily wrapped a towel around his naked body before that lusty almond gaze could get a good look.

He didn’t know why the alpha insisted on initiating sensual activities when he looked like this…maybe he had a weird kink-

_“….zawa?”_

_Nope, nope, nope-_

_“Takafumi.”_

“What!?” The raven snapped more harshly than he’d intended, folding his arms across his bare chest as he put up a defensive stance.

“You seem really lost in thought recently, is there something you want to tell me?” Kirishima hit the nail on the head, as he always did when it came to reading the beta like an open book.

_‘Damn it. He’s got me figured out.’_

“…well?”

_‘Lie.’_

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yokozawa fibbed, it was too damn embarrassing to admit, the least he could do was hide behind his stubborn pride. Not daring to meet those intense amber eyes, the beta kept his gaze glued to the water littered floor, the small pool of moisture gathered at his feet left him feeling chilly and _exposed._

“I think you do.”

“Then what is it?”

“Ah, I haven’t gotten that far.”

“Just drop it!”

“Hmm, nope!”

“Agh! What the hell’re you- ahn…!’ Kirishima surged forward to tug him into a tight embrace from behind, reaching down to stroke his sensitive crotch beneath the towel that slowly responded to his searing touch. The raven grit his teeth in embarrassment from crying out in a humiliating tone.

“S-Stop…!-“ His legs were beginning to tremble weakly as pleasure coursed through his lower region, forcing him to lean his weight against the sturdy alpha behind him, while that broad, skillful hand continued to pump his shaft fervently.

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong~”

“Hng...!” His temperature spiked when the brunette leaned forward to nip at his ear, following a moist kiss against his scent gland. Kirishima’s strokes intensified, leaving the beta completely at his mercy as he practically melted into putty in his alpha’s muscular arms. Heat was beginning to pool insistently in his abdomen as he neared his climax, his hips snapping up sharply to match Kirishima’s timed pace.

“Takafumi~” Kirishima leaned down to whisper his name huskily, this being the last straw for Yokozawa, biting into his hand to stifle his cry of pleasure as his release washed over him. Had he not had Kirishima’s supportive arm around his waist, his knees would’ve buckled beneath him long ago…

“Good boy.” The alpha chuckled throatily into his lover’s sensitive ear, as he panted for breath after the intense heat that swallowed his body.

“Y’know…you- have some really weird kinks…” Yokozawa muttered breathlessly, finally gathering the strength to pick up their banter.

“What do you mean?”

“Why…else would you want to touch me when I look like this…?”

“Cause’ I can never get enough of you.” Kirishima replied earnestly, not caring to hide the seductive undertones lacing his voice. He still had a problem of his own right now, that he’d like to have taken care of, making it known as he shamelessly ground his clothed arousal against the raven’s flush backside.

“Hey…turn this way.” The brunette demanded heatedly, consuming his lips with a passionate kiss while he shoved his lover out of the bathroom and onto the empty bed. Kirishima climbing over him to shower him with loving strokes and lip-locks. Hushed gasps and moans were like music to the alpha’s ears as he relentlessly pressed down, and impressed pleasure on his lover over and over as the night stretched on…

Long after the insatiable Kirishima satisfied himself and his lover, Yokozawa found himself staring blankly up at the ceiling. He still couldn’t sleep…there was this odd tingling, pressure that gathered in his pecs, and he was certain that the alpha who liked to play with his chest during their intimate acts didn’t exactly help. The beta knew it was his body’s way of telling him that he didn’t have to proper ‘instruments’ to provide natural nutrients to the expected newborn, but it nevertheless felt strange and kept him awake even as Kirishima snored softly beside him.

His doctor had warned him that he wouldn’t be able to produce breast-milk like a normal mother, which relieved the masculine beta to no end, finding the mental image utterly horrifying. However, he was also notified of the effect it would still have on his body, since his organs continued to produce that feminine hormone that gave his child life, his body tried to adapt itself to what comes naturally. It was human nature to produce these very chemicals during reproduction, but it still left the raven annoyed to no end.

Yokozawa huffed and tried to turn on his side, finding that it only applied more pressure, and agitated his sensitive skin. He was almost tempted to sleep shirtless, the fabric of his t-shirt was causing unwanted friction against the tender flesh, but he knew that Kirishima wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself if he went that route. The raven groaned in evident frustration, pulling a pillow over his face to somewhat muffle his cry of aggravation. His attempts to mute out his evident frustration; however, were in vain as soon as Kirishima jerked awake at his side, and sat up scratching his head.

“Huh? What’s wrong…?” The brunette muttered, sleep still heavily slurring his speech.

“Nothing.” The raven grit through his teeth grumpily.

“Well it’s gotta be _something_.” The alpha, now wide awake, remarked matter-of-factly.

  
“It’s just-…my chest.” Yokozawa admit meekly, raking a hand over his face in exhaustion.

“What about it?”

“Feels weird.”

“Want a massage?”

  
“ _No thanks_.”

“It might help~ I’m quite skilled.”

_That_ Yokozawa knew for a fact, as Kirishima had demonstrated his expertise _multiple_ times on his body, he would be lying If he said the idea wasn’t appealing, but it was downright mortifying to acknowledge it.

“— **No.** ” The raven stated firmly, though Kirishima took his moment of hesitation as an invitation anyways, and went ahead with his ministrations.

“I-Idiot what’re you-…!” Yokozawa squirmed as warm palms shamelessly caressed the swollen area, rucking up his shirt in the process, easing some of the discomfort.

“Shh~”

The relief was heavenly, and when those skillful hands pulled away, the beta found himself biting back a whine of disappointment. His worries quickly dispelled as the gentle touch came back, this time coated in silky oil, melting the tense muscle into putty. It did grate somewhere in the back of his mind that he was being treated like a _chick,_ and this was utterly humiliating, but he was too lost in the blissful relief to care.

“Uhn…” Yokozawa couldn’t help the small cry from his lips when his lover’s gentle palms roamed over a sensitive spot, washing away all of his discomfort. While the caresses his alpha favored him with were arousing, the beta found himself weaker against the wave of sleepiness washing over him. Too tired to act on his desire, Yokozawa allowed Kirishima’s ministrations to lull him into a peaceful slumber, the brunette caressing him long after he fell asleep. Just before Yokozawa truly dropped off into the comforting void of slumber, he picked up Kirishima’s hushed voice speaking to the, supposedly asleep, raven.

“I wish you would tell me what’s on your mind…” The alpha murmured, combing the inky strands tickling at his forehead blindly.

The beta fought down a shiver and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, pursing his lips into a thin line, afraid he would spill what he’d been keeping from him in a moment of weakness. But alas, the urge to rest was stronger, carrying the raven into a contented torpor within Kirishima’s broad arms.

****

**_He just couldn’t say it…_ **

\----

Takano meandered around his apartment late in the evening on a week-night as the moon peaked into his living room, shortly after Onodera had just left to retire to his own flat next door. The pair had been working tirelessly over a recent submission of manuscripts from various authors, finding their department swamped with extra projects, the editors decided to team up and finish what they could outside of work after toting the thick, packets of paper home. The alpha tried to convince the brunette to stay over, but he stubbornly refused and slammed the door shut in his face as he escaped to his own lonely apartment. It’d been awhile since he’s had Sorata over…maybe he should relieve Yokozawa of his cat-sitting duty for a bit.

He hadn’t seen him in _forever_ …

The raven started at a light chime sounding within the room, vibrating noisily against whatever surface it was wedged against as it came to life with a notification.

_It didn’t sound like_ his _phone though._

With an effort to search for the source, Takano found it buried beneath a hefty manuscript marked with red ink, the one he and Onodera had been working on so late in the evening. The alpha lifted the hand-held device gingerly, flinching when the phone buzzed with another alert.

**Who the hell was texting Ritsu so late at night!?**

Takano soothed his jealous nerves after a bit of snooping, to find that it was the brunette’s mother pestering him about marrying. She hadn’t taken their bonding lightly, and continued to plague the omega with mentions of ‘ _proper’_ suitable alpha’s, but it was too late, they had already left their marks and the woman could either take it or leave it. The audacity of this lady, (not that she acted like one…) made his blood boil, and the raven took it upon himself to delete the messages very existence.

‘Guess I should return it to him, unless he’s already asleep…’

The editor-in-chief of emerald pondered disturbing the fatigued omega, his hand hovering over the door knob in frozen movement. The poor guy had grown increasingly exhausted over the past couple months, eerily playing in around the time of their last heat together. Maybe the unbalance of pheromones released left him playing catch-up with his energy? However, the alpha also noticed a significant change to his scent, the omega usually smelling like fresh citrus had developed a sickeningly sweet vanilla aroma, tickling the raven’s nose any time he was in his presence. He almost smelled exactly like Yokozawa did when he got knocked up by…-

_“Oh...”_

‘Thump…Thump..’

A hesitant knock at his door snapped him out of his trance, that must be Onodera coming back to retrieve his phone. The alpha swung the door open, only to be met with an unexpected, but very familiar face.

“Yokozawa…?”

The beta in front of him shifted from foot to foot nervously and kept his gaze averted to the ground.

“What the hell are you doing here so late?”

Yokozawa only shrugged weakly, and proceeded to push past his friend to waltz into his apartment.

“Would you like to come in?” Takano remarked sarcastically as he watched the raven make himself at home on his couch, eye’s glued to the belly his long-sleeved shirt presented as it clung to his body. This wasn’t good, he almost expected Kirishima to barge in here and pick a fight any moment, he eyed the door warily as he proceeded to lock it.

“Oi, don’t tell me you walked here…” The alpha warned, alarm bells going off after remembering that the trains didn’t run this late, and looked over his friend’s disheveled appearance. The guy was still in his _pajama’s_ , looking awkward with the mis-matched pair of sandals that donned his feet. It was _freezing_ outside, the crisp evening air had to be frigidly biting at his exposed extremities.

It worried him, the wild bear of sales wasn’t known to be this sloppy and careless, let alone act like a kicked puppy…

Yokozawa didn’t answer, and lowered his head as his shoulder’s sagged dejectedly, deep sorrow clouding those gloomy grey eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Takano finally asked, seeing his prying was getting nowhere, he cut straight to the point softly, taking a seat next to his friend.

“I…--” The beta started but snapped his mouth shut, searching for the right words, he looked like he was going to cry any moment.

“We…got into a fight...” Yokozawa mumbled after taking moment to inhale and exhale deeply.

“Kirishima-san?”

He only got a weak nod in response,

“About what?”

The beta gestured to his pregnant stomach for a hint and waited for the alpha to put it together, still refusing to meet his curious hazel eyes. Takano felt a fuse short as he only got vague responses from his normally brash, terse friend, but stifled a growl of annoyance for his sake.

“I don’t know what means.”

“He kept prying about something I’ve had on my mind, things just escalated from there and I wasn’t thinking properly…I basically called _them_ a mistake…” Yokozawa murmured, each word stabbing at his heart as he recalled their furious quarrel,

**‘I never asked for this to happen to me.’**

**The alpha’s expression was heartbreaking, he looked devastated, but that mask of emotion was quickly replaced with swirling rage…directed at _him_. Leading the beta to kick on two different sandals **

**haphazardly and rush out the door, refusing to look back, even after he heard a loud crash behind him. Probably Kirishima punching the wall in a fit of mis-directed anger…**

**And that’s how he ended up here, his feet blindingly carrying him to seek out comfort and advice from his long-time friend of 11 years. Luckily Hiyo hadn’t been there to witness the scene they’d caused, Kirishima having dropped her off at his mother’s house, otherwise there would have been trouble…**

The worst part was that he didn’t even feel that way, it just came out in retaliation to his lover’s nosy inquiry.

“Why didn’t you just tell him?”

“It’s--…too damn embarrassing.” The raven replied, gritting his teeth as he mulled over the very thought.

“What is it?”

“M’not telling…” Yokozawa refused petulantly, shifting to lay on his side on the sofa and turn over so his tense back faced his friend.

This time Takano did allow a beleaguered sigh to escape his lips, knowing that he was getting nowhere with this. He already knew how stubbornly the beta protected his pride, he’s seen it many times…

“He hates me…” Yokozawa sniffed faintly, his wavering voice muffled by the cushions.

“What makes you say that?”

“He…looked so angry…” The raven just couldn’t erase that image from his mind, nor the smell he put off, it made him shiver in pure terror.

“Yokozawa, he could never hate you, sure you’re a pain in the ass, but if anyone knows how to handle that, it’s _him_.”

“The fuck do you know.”

“For hell sake’s man, you’re carrying his _child_! Ugh, whatever I don’t have time for this… I’m not your fucking marriage counselor.” The alpha groaned as he rubbed at his pounding temple.

The beta whimpered and curled in on himself, being away from his alpha physically _hurt_ , tugging insistently at his heartstrings to return.

“Will you cut that out!? You _reek_!” Takano complained as he pinched his nose.

Stress was practically emanating off of him in waves, tickling at his friend’s strong sense of smell uncomfortably.

“Go take a bath or do some breathing exercises, you need to chill out. I can’t have Kirishima breaking down my door if something happens to you or that baby.”

“M’trying…” The raven sniveled pathetically, feeling a false contraction hitting him at full force.

“Yokozawa this isn’t safe, come on, we’re going back to Kirishima’s.” Takano sighed as he watched the beta suffer, while he sunk further into the cushions of the sofa.

“Don’t wanna.”

Takano pulled a hand through his own hair roughly, exhaling with a force to be reckoned with. He thought his friend was a stubborn nuisance on a daily basis, but a pregnant Yokozawa? How the hell did Kirishima put up with it? while the alpha debated on his next moves to coax the distressed beta into his car that reside in the garage, a knock rapping on the door caught his attention.

‘Great that’s probably Kirishima here to give me a piece of his mind…’ Takano muttered to himself, not missing the way his friend tensed up when he picked up on his incoherent mumbling. The alpha took a deep breath before peeking through the small, glass eye-piece for his safety, only to find that there was no threat at all, but a weary omega. Takano yanked the door open and plopped Onodera’s cellphone into the hands he was wringing nervously.

A detail the alpha took into mind, was the way that the brunette just wouldn’t look at him, confirming his earlier suspicions.

“Ah- um, thanks-…What’s that smell?”

Suddenly, the alpha got an idea, maybe he couldn’t help his friend, but Ritsu was an _omega._ Without a proper response other than a noncommittal grunt, Takano grabbed his mate by the shoulders and pulled him forward into the genkan, the force of the stress-inducing scent hitting the brunette full force.

_“Huh? What’s Yokozawa-san doing here?”_ Onodera hissed below a whisper, to avoid any possible wrath from the wild-bear himself.

_“Help me.”_ Takano whispered back, only serving to confuse the editor further, who pinched his brows tightly in concern.

_“W-What?”_

_“Just go!”_

With a forceful shove at the omega’s back, he stumbled into the living room to be met with cloud of anxiety and gloom emanating from the brooding raven who faced away from him on the couch. The brunette turned around to shoot his mate a pleading look of _‘what do I do?!’_ , only to be given a clueless shrug. With a sigh, Onodera bravely stepped forward and kneeled down a few feet away to speak, oh-so hesitantly, to the scary salesman.

“Yokozawa-san…is everything alright?”

Yokozawa’s blood ran cold and he scowled _, the_ last _person he wanted to see right now was this shrimp_ , let alone allowing him to see his distraught state.

“None…of your—damn business…“ The beta muttered brokenly, trying to hide the crack in his voice as he sobbed silently into the plush couch beneath him. Onodera deflated, his heart ached for the poor raven, it was his nature after all, to nurture.

The brooding salesman stiffened when he heard a comforting noise slip from the figure behind him, while a cautious, but gentle palm planted itself on his back to swipe up and down along his spine in circular motions. Almost like what his mom used to do when he was little…

Yokozawa couldn’t bite back the faint whimper as his body wracked harder with evident sorrow, the omega purring gently behind him for support. The beta eventually fell asleep, whining unconsciously every now and then for his alpha. When Onodera got up to leave, the raven flinched awake and began to call out for the lost comfort with a primal noise in the back of his throat. He seemed to have completely discarded his mask of pride for the moment, leaving behind an emotionally-raw Yokozawa.

Takano had to make some coffee to stay awake until Yokozawa drifted off again, providing his own mate some company. This time, the omega who sat on the floor, fell asleep while patting comfortingly at the beta’s back. His head was resting beside the raven’s onyx, disheveled locks, mingling with the brunette’s own tresses. The alpha had to admit, it made quite a sight, and he couldn’t help snapping a memorable picture of the rare moment.

With a noisome yawn and a tall stretch, Takano finally decided to call it a night after draping a heavy blanket over the sleeping duo, but not before he heard something quietly tapping at his front door.

‘You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, what is it _now_!?’ The alpha hissed to himself as he made his way over the genkan to greet his _third_ visitor of the night. Surely his neighbors were gonna be _pissed_ , seeing that he had yet another guest pleading entrance at 1 in the morning. Angrily dragging the door open, Takano flinched back at the sight of a sulking Kirishima Zen, his strands of almond hair covering his sulking expression.

“This way.” The raven guided the other alpha to where his ‘luggage’ awaited him, recovering from the sudden shock, assuming that he was here for Yokozawa.

Soft snoring curled about the room, setting a soft atmosphere as the sweet scent of pregnancy and that of his omega mates mingled in the air. He eyed each move Kirishima made as the man stepped forward to brush the inky strands covering his friends tear-stained face. The alpha sighed and bent down to support his lover’s heavy body as he heaved him upright, turning around to be met with a very pissed-off Takano.

“…What?”

“I think you know what.”

Kirishima sighed and looked down at Yokozawa’s pitiful expression as he continued his restless sleep encumbered by painful whimpers in his arms.

“I don’t want this happening again, seeing him like that—It’s not right…am I clear?” The alpha scolded with a harsh hazel behind his glasses, folding his arms across his chest sternly in concern for his long-time friend. The brunette shrunk, feeling like he was being chided by his mother, and grudgingly nod in agreement.

“I know he’s a lot to deal with, but…please take care of him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy… or upset.” Takano reflected distantly as he looked down at the beta who began to shift around within the editor’s arms to burrow his head in his pajama clad chest. The alpha observing Kirishima’s bandaged hand gripping tighter where Yokozawa’s knee met his thigh.

“Zen…” Yokozawa faintly whimpered, and his mate felt his heart break, while Takano didn’t even bat an eye. Jeez, Kirishima thought he was composed, but the guy didn’t even allow an ounce of emotion to cross his neutral expression unless he was shouting at his poor subordinates.

“Sorry for the trouble.” Kirishima apologized, ducking his head politely in place of a bow.

“He’s like a brother to me, don’t worry about it, I’m used to his stubborn ass.” The raven put up a dismissive hand as he saw them off.

Kirishima smiled grimly and turned on his heel to exit the apartment, and strap his snoozing lover into the car that he’d driven there.

Long after the reunited couple had left, Takano bent down to stroke the hair away from his lover’s face as he dozed off on the floor.

_“Idiot, when were you gonna tell me…?”_

\----

Yokozawa could smell the comforting scent of his alpha surrounding him as he roused, ‘He must still be dreaming…’ He’d dreamt earlier in the night that Kirishima had come to pick him up from Takano’s house, but who was he kidding? He was probably still asleep on that lonely, black couch, there’s no way that he would-

The beta’s eyes snapped open upon sensing a gentle hand brushing against his forehead, instantly noticing how everything around him was so warm.

“K-Kiri…--”

Tired steel-grey met with soft amber warmly looking down at him, Yokozawa found himself too stunned to speak.

_He wasn’t dreaming last night?_

The raven noted dully as he took in the familiar surroundings of his and Kirishima’s sunlit bedroom while he practically sat in the brunette’s lap.

“Morning~” The alpha whispered sweetly, nuzzling closer to his lover’s neck while wrapping his limbs around him tighter. Relief washed over the beta, when he knew that this was real, and couldn’t help the tears springing at his eyes.

“I-I…I’m—sorry…” Yokozawa sobbed brokenly, feeling a wave of emotion course through his body, forcing him to expel it anyway he could as he shifted around to cling to the alpha with a deathlike grip.

“For what?” Kirishima gaped at his lover incredulously, _he_ was the one who should apologize!

“Huh? Aren’t y-you mad about…what I s-said?” The beta rasped, as he sucked in a shaky breath.

“Of course not! I was upset because I’m not a good alpha…” The brunette moped, turning away from his lover’s murky eyes abashedly, a faint blush creeping up his neck.

‘What’s _that_ supposed to mean?’

“You…have the audacity to blush like that after acting so rashly?” The raven snapped as he felt a tremor of irritation ripple down his spine, sitting up to inspect the alpha’s hands for damages.

_All of that suffering agony for_ nothing _?_

Yokozawa couldn’t hide the momentary struggle of emotion as he looked over Kirishima’s bandaged hand.

‘So he _did_ punch the wall…’

“Don’t- worry about that, I was being stupid…” Kirishima shrugged his lover’s attentions away and flushed darker.

“What do you mean ‘not a good alpha’?” The raven asked

“I—I haven’t been around to take care of you enough, I had just heard from Yuki-Chan’s mother about that alpha yesterday and I got so pissed…at myself.”

“Why?” The beta gulped as he recollected the situation, that he’d been saved from that pathetic delivery man by his neighbors.

“Because I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“You can’t blame yourself. You have a job to keep, besides if you were there after hearing what he’d said, you’d probably be charged for violent assault…” Yokozawa snorted, recalling what horrible words had spilled off of that asshole’s tongue.

“ **What did he say.** ” The alpha demanded darkly while clenching both of his fists, despite the pain that stung through his injured one in reminder, he was going to hunt that bastard down-

“It would only make you mad.” The raven sighed and leaned back against his lover’s broad chest, almost laughing at the rumbling start in Kirishima’s chest as he held back a bone-chilling growl.

“About what I said…I didn’t really mean that, I actually-“

“I know.” Kirishima jumped in, effectively cutting him off, saving his breath.

“Can I finish!?” the beta huffed irritably, turning to glare up at smug warm amber.

“What I really meant was…--”

Yokozawa groped for a proper response, he had a lot of courage at the start of his sentence, but it was quickly dwindling to nothing…

“You know how you asked me what I was thinking?”

Kirishima nodded understandingly, his eyebrows furrowed with curiosity as he watched the raven grasp for words.

“I-I’ve been thinking that—I-I…” The beta punched the mattress in frustration as he bit his tongue, why was this so hard!?

“Spit it out.” The alpha above him demanded impatiently, resting his chin against his palm as he lazed about with a bored expression, earning a harsh glare in response from the stuttering raven.

“I—”

“Ughhh _Takafumi_ just _tell_ me!” Kirishima whined petulantly, the suspense was killing him! Whatever it was it couldn’t live up to the time the stubborn bear confessed his love to him.

“OK FINE! I like carrying your child!” The beta shouted in defeat, his fleeting rage leaving behind a very horrified Yokozawa who blushed dark-red all the way up to his ears. ‘DID I REALLY JUST SAY THAT!?’

Kirishima blinked slowly, his brain trying to process the bellowed response that continued to ring in his ears. _Well never mind…this definitely took the cake…_

“What.”

‘I totally did, I’m done for!!’ Yokozawa screamed internally as those shocked, yet intense almond eyes fixed him with a prying expression.

“Did you just-“

The beta turned away from him as his mouth drew into a thin, quivering line.

“Say what I think you did…?”

The creeping flush, deepening in hue on his lover’s face confirmed that this was _not_ a dream, but reality. A reality in which his prideful mate confessed that he liked bearing his children…He couldn’t be any happier.

“Are you saying you want to try again after…?” Kirishima asked licking his suddenly dry lips, watching the raven further avert his gaze by ducking his head, nodding in response.

Not _right after_ of course, he really wanted to go back to work, but he could see himself in the future not being bothered by it in the least…

“I really wanna jump you right now.” The alpha stated bluntly,

“You--! I’m being serious here!” Yokozawa snapped, cutting the brunette a stubborn scowl, ‘That’s what he took away from this!?’

“So am I~”

It seemed the beta’s protests fell on deaf ears as Kirishima spent the rest of the morning appreciating his mate with some much needed, make up-affection.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, hope you liked it! See you soon with a new chapter <3  
> -Peachy


	25. Teenager

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! So sorry it took 9 days, but I'm back! I just got really busy all of a sudden so I hope you understand, and don't fret because I plan to post the next chapter very soon, I just couldn't fit all of this together without it looking like it was all over the place lol. Happy reading!  
> ~Peachy

“Well maybe I wouldn’t be as jealous if you-“

“Don’t.”

“What? it’s only fair, seeing that I’m your _husband_!”

“Stop being so damn childish.” Yokozawa exhaled with finality, honestly, he didn’t even know how their little spat started, he just knew that Kirishima had already dragged it out for 3 days now! The alpha was constantly grating on him for that _one simple thing_...

**“Call me by my name.” A tall brunette growled as he stumbled through an occupied-bedroom door at 12:30 in the morning. The smell of stale alcohol staining the alpha’s slurred speech and clothes, making the raven’s nose scrunch up with disgust. Good thing he put Hiyo to bed just a few hours ago…**

**Seems like Kirishima had gone out for celebratory drinks with his department after they had _finally_ reached the end of the monthly hell-cycle.**

**“Are you _drunk_?”**

**“No…”**

**“Never mind. I’m not arguing with a drunkard like you.” The beta huffed, shifting on his side to face away from the irritating brunette who still continued to tower over him, his shoulders slumped slightly in the dim light flooding in from the living room.**

**“Why does _he_ get the special treatment?” Kirishima’s silhouette mumbled bitterly as he staggered towards the bed where his mate rested beneath the heavy covers.**

**“What are you talking about?”**

**“Masamune this, Masamune that…” The alpha muttered petulantly while he attempted to slip under the covers. Yokozawa snapped a hand out to yank the brunette’s arm forward and push it back roughly.**

**“Don’t you even _think_ about coming near me when you reek like that.”**

**“Yeah, but I’m sure Takano could…”**

**“The hell is wrong with you?”**

**“ _Forget it._ ” Kirishima snapped soberly, dull amber shooting the raven a harsh glare before he stalked off to the conjoined bathroom, and as Yokozawa waited impatiently with his back turned to the closed door, the alpha never returned. Only for the beta to find the next morning after a _very_ restless sleep, that Kirishima had slept on the couch…**

And that’s where he was now, three nights later, still trying to make sense of their quarrel those few days ago. Yokozawa knew what the alpha wanted, but he just didn’t understand _why_. Looking at it from Kirishima’s perspective, sure, it was a bit strange that he referred to his friend with his given name instead of his husband. But the brunette hadn’t brought It up until then…so why now? Did Takano say something?

The beta sighed for the umpteenth time that evening. His head _hurt_ , and though he didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t think he could go another night with his lover’s back turned to him. Yokozawa had finally reached his breaking point after Kirishima shuffled into _his picky side_ of the mattress, turning his bed-mate the cold shoulder once again…

“ **Fine.** ”

“Hm?” the brunette grunted noncommittally, not bothering to move a muscle.

The sight of Kirishima’s outlined shoulder-blades in his form fitting shirt made his blood boil, pushing the beta over the edge to finally give in.

“I. Said. Fine.”

“To what?”

“ _Zen._ ”

The alpha tensed up and his breathing hitched, and suddenly he was flipping over so fast, Yokozawa thought he was going to crush him, as he’d moved out of the way just a _second_ in time.

“Say it again.”

“Don’t push your lu-“

“You have to, remember? For at least a week, and you remember the conditions if you break it~” Kirishima reminded his stubborn bear who only frowned in response to the finger he wagged matter-of-factly in the air. His _condition_ that he’d mentioned, was that he could dress the beta in _anything_ he wanted to for one night at his request. It wasn’t like the raven to be looped in such a scandalous deal where his pride was at stake, but it was better than getting the silent treatment from a grumpy Kirishima…

“Goodnight, Zen.” Yokozawa muttered in embarrassment, and attempted to turn on his side, despite how much he craved to see that handsome frame facing him. The alpha acted faster, gripping at his lover’s bicep tightly to yank him flat onto his back.

“Goodnight, Takafumi~” and with a light kiss, these were the last words the pair exchanged before finally dozing off in each other’s comfort. Finally, everything felt back in place even with the new bet that’s been set in stone, until the next morning at least…

\----

“Zen, wake up.” a low, annoyed voice growled into the sunlit bedroom, it sounded like Yokozawa but there’s no way…

There was a pause of silence and then an irritated huff, as a warm palm snapped out to grip at his bare shoulder and shake it roughly in an attempt to rouse the alpha from a mud-like slumber.

_‘What a cruel dream.’_ Kirishima thought, but refused to let it end, knowing that if he opened his eyes it would all waver into a false memory, what’s the harm in indulging once and a while?

“Get your ass up!” Was the only distant, snippy warning the alpha got before the cocoon of blankets was roughly yanked off of his body. Kirishima hissed when the cold air hit his skin and he finally snapped his eyes open in frustration.

“The hell was that for!?” The brunette snarled, casting his lover a blazing amber scowl. He was _not_ a morning person, especially when he had reminded his lover several times to wake him up with a _kiss_!

“You need to get ready for work.” Yokozawa replied just as gruffly and turned on his heel, folding his arms to rest against his, 9-months pregnant, abdomen.

“What time is it?” Kirishima called out to the raven as he blindly tossed a discarded shirt on, that was hopefully clean…

“9:00 am.” The raven muttered as he walked back into the room with an empty laundry basket balanced against his hip, only to drop it in shock.

“What?” Kirishima asked wearily at the clattering of plastic against hardwood, and eyed him curiously to see the beta unresponsive, standing utterly baffled in the door-frame. He was _sure_ his tussled locks wouldn’t warrant such a dramatic reaction…did he have drool on his face or something?

“Why…are you wearing my shirt?” Yokozawa finally finding his voice to utter an embarrassed reprimand.

“Oh…oops, _that’s_ why it felt baggier.” Kirishima mused, as he tugged at the hem of the black T-shirt to inspect the extra slack in the fabric.

“Change it, _right now_!”

“Nah don’t wanna, too much hassle~”

“Kiri-…!!”

The alpha raised his brows and turned to look at his lover curiously, seeing the beta’s hands balled into tight fists as he blushed from head to toe.

“Why did you stop?”

“…”

“What is it?”

“Just give me my damn shirt back! I wore that yesterday.” Yokozawa stubbornly steered the topic away in mortification.

“Nope, it smells like you~ and besides, I wanna know why you hesitated.”

Yokozawa’s mouth dried up and his lips soundlessly moved as he searched for words, this was so much more embarrassing than he thought it would be! Taking a deep breath, he forced the cursed syllable off his tongue like swallowing bitter medicine,

“Zen, I’m not gonna ask you twice.”

Kirishima gaped at the raven who scowled in the doorway with his signature defensive stance of crossed arms, there’s no way this was real.

“Once more.”

“Quit fucking around!”

_“Say it.”_

_“Zen.”_

“Pinch me.”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“No, but you love me for it.”

“Whatever, just hurry up and get ready.” The beta huffed in exasperation, attempting to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere, it was too much for his racing heart…

“Huh? Why?”

“You have work you idiot!”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” Kirishima pondered aloud while he scratched at his mop of bed-head thoughtfully.

“Tell me what?”

“Ah…makes sense I was dead tired last night, I don’t even remember falling asleep…”

‘Does that mean that he doesn’t…?’

“I have the day off today.”

“Why?”

‘He totally doesn’t, he forgot everything I said.’ The beta realized as he entertained the memories of last night in which he’d made the very promise to rise to the idiot’s challenge. He had some nerve forgetting such an important moment…remembering that he was still in conversation with the very alpha Yokozawa fought down a scowl to hide his spinning thoughts.

“Guess they got sick of me and kicked me out.” The alpha pouted with a shrug while he sat back down on the squeaky mattress (they needed a new one), but looked up only a second later with a twinkle dancing mischievously in his warm, almond iris.

“But I don’t mind, because now I get to spend the whole day with my sweet husb-“

Kirishima didn’t get any further with his honeyed words, interrupted with a harsh fist to the top of his head.

“Oww!” but when the alpha looked up to scold his lover, he seemed to have simply vanished, along with the light-weight laundry basket…

The brunette curiously rose from the bed to pad into the living room as silently as he could with such a tall frame, seeing Yokozawa hunched over the washing machine as he shoved piled clothes into the open hatch.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“…”

“Am I supposed to be remembering something?”

“…”

“Is it-“

“Did you forget what I promised to you last night?” The provoked raven spun around to shoot his mate an icy glare as he demanded an answer, receiving a stupid,

“…Huh?”

“Of course, you did.” He scoffed, and rudely turned back to his task of laundry.

“Well are you gonna tell me?”

“No. You can figure it out yourself, _Zen_.” The last ending word a hiss of reminder, that sparked memories in the editor’s fog-tired brain. After Kirishima sat there gaping like a fish for a solid minute, Yokozawa finally turned the knob to start the appliances wash cycle, the click snapping him out of his trance.

“I…I thought that was a dream.”

“Well it wasn’t- mmpf!!”

The brunette had him pinned against the wall in a heated lip-lock in mere seconds, making the beta groan as the pressure ached against his back. After sweeping his tongue through his lover’s cavern passionately, the alpha finally relented and pulled away for air.

“The _hell_ -“

“I love you.”

“!!--…I-I..You too…” Yokozawa mumbled below a whisper, his face flush with a healthy glow.

He was so glad that he finally had extra time to spend with Kirishima besides sleeping and sulking. He was going to make good use of his time today.

“Hey I have an idea of how we should spend the day together!” The alpha brightly suggested as if he’d read the raven’s mind exactly.

\----

“When you said we would be doing something _fun,_ I didn’t expect this!” The wild-bear hissed as Kirishima continued to press on his back to stretch it, while he reached towards the empty space of his splayed legs.

“C’mon don’t get your panties in a twist, this is supposed to _help_ you _,_ and besides, it _is_ fun…” The leering brunette behind him chuckled as he pushed at the middle of his shoulder-blades persistently.

“ _You_ …How the hell is this supposed to be fun!?”

“Well it’s fun for me, are you disappointed? Did you expect something naughty~?” Kirishima huskily whispered the last syllable into the shell of his lover’s ear, feeling his back muscles ripple with anticipation as he shuddered beneath his touch.

“As if! Just let me up, I’ve had enough of this.” The raven sniped shortly as inappropriate thoughts flooded his mind, his beet-red complexion completely giving him away. He tried to distract himself from his racing heart by peeking off to the side at the furniture Kirishima had pushed out of the way to make room, but to no avail, the beta couldn’t help but recall the many passionate moments they’d shared behind closed doors…

“Just one more~” The alpha complied, but on one condition, urging him to give it a final try as he pressed against his lower back this time. Apparently Yokozawa’s constant nagging of his lower back aches gave the brunette the wrong idea. Though he had to admit, the stretching of his muscles was actually beginning to alleviate some of those aches and pains…

The beta hissed out a vile string of curses as a knot in his back was popped into place, the release of tension resounding a sickening pop. Too caught up in his own colorful language of swears, Yokozawa hadn’t heard the door creak open, following the pattering of light foot-steps across the floorboards.

“Huh? What are you two doing…?” Hiyo asked incredulously as she dropped her backpack onto the ground with a loud thump. The ravens head snapped up so fast it looked like he got whiplash, the never-ending stream of vulgar words coming to a complete halt as steel-grey eyes widened in shock at the sight of the young girl, only to glance over at the clock. _When had the time passed so quickly!?_

“We’re doing yoga~” Kirishima supplied, from behind the frozen beta who looked like he wanted to die from embarrassment.

_“N-No we’re not!”_

“Really? Can I try?” The youngster asked excitedly, balancing on the balls of her feet as she hopped in place.

“Sure! Now just sit like your onii-chan and lean forward as faaar as you can!” The alpha explained, childishly dragging out the vowel for some enthusiasm.

“Let me up!” Yokozawa demanded once again, attempting to upright himself without hurting his back in the process.

“Hiyo needs a demonstration.” Kirishima replied with mock seriousness, nodding deeply as he planted a firm hand against his husband’s spine to halt his struggling movement.

“Isn’t that right?”

“Nah I’ve learned this in gym class, we have to stretch before we exercise so that we don’t hurt ourselves.” The youngster impressed her solid knowledge of gym-safety, amazing both adults significantly at the mature information she’d filed away.

“That’s my girl, maybe you can teach onii-cha-” The brunette suggested, but was quickly stifled with a rough palm against his mouth.

“I’ve had _enough_ for the day…Sorry Hiyo, maybe your papa will take my place.”

“Ah…um…” The alpha started nervously, scratching at his neck sheepishly, he didn’t want to disappoint his daughter, but he also couldn’t afford to injure himself if things turned sour…

“Ok!” The youngster grinned brightly in response as Yokozawa walked off to the bathroom for a much-needed bath, not bothering to hide his evident smirk from Kirishima as he grudgingly sat down in his stead.

\----

“Owowow!!” Kirishima howled in pain as his daughter pushed against his back, forcing his stiff muscles to stretch with the movement. Damn, he really needed to step up his workout routine, this _had_ to be from stress at his desk-job…

“You’re such a wimp father.” Hiyo snickered as she finally let up and gave him room to stand, bruising the alpha’s ego in the process.

“What’s that supposed to mean??” The brunette whined dejectedly as his own kin ragged on him for showing weakness to a simple exercise.

“Haha! what should I make for dinner?” The 12-year old ignored him with a giggle, as she scampered off to the kitchen to toss on her apron and inspect the contents of the fridge, Sorata meowing at her feet for his dinner.

“Hmm, I don’t really know, what is there? Oh—can you grab me a beer?”

“ _Jeez_ , what did I tell you-“

“I’m not gonna get fat!” Kirishima growled in exasperation as his 12-year old tried to nag him about his diet, maybe he teased his daughter too much and gave her the wrong impression. He’d created a little Kirishima monster, but he was nevertheless, _so proud_ … His heart started thumping at the thought of an extra pair of feet besides their chubby feline pattering through the cozy flat…

Kirishima snapped open the lid and chugged the contents greedily, just mere stretches had left him parched, and the chilled beverage soothed his dying thirst. The alpha wandered off to laze around on the couch, his usual spot, as he wasn’t allowed in the kitchen after many singed finger-tips and whacks with a blunt object from the wild-bear, he’d finally learned his lesson. So, lazy amber followed the movement of a soccer ball across the bright TV screen, all the while keeping Sorata company on the spacious sofa.

Yokozawa finally emerged from the bathroom, only to find that Hiyo had pretty much finished all of the food prep ahead of him, leaving him to take on the task of making coconut-creme pudding for dessert. Everything was as it always was on a peaceful weeknight, Hiyo in the kitchen with Yokozawa while they fussed over dinner, while Kirishima occasionally found himself curiously hovering over them on the sidelines out of boredom and impatience.

But something broke the silence all too alarmingly, the other occupants of the open room’s eyes bulging in utter bewilderment,

“Aww, dammit.”

It was that one syllable that had Yokozawa dropping the ceramic bowl of sweet mixture to shatter on impact against the floor, following the sound of a tin can clattering against the flat surface as its leftover contents trickled onto the solid planks. Both men were absolutely baffled, hoping that one of _them_ had said it, but this was not the case. The soft peep belonged to none other than the ever-so-angelic _Hiyori,_ as she’d chopped something too thin.

“W-what was that…?” Kirishima muttered in skepticism, refusing to accept what he’d just heard as reality.

“Huh?”

“ _Hiyo_ , why did you say that?”

“But, onii-chan said it earlier…?” The youngster peered back and forth confusedly between the shocked pair as they inched forward. The raven stiffened as she referred to his poor language he’d forgotten to keep in check when she walked through the door that afternoon… _this was all his fault._

“We’ll discuss this later, _go to your room_.”

“Wha-? But what did I-“

**“No buts.”**

The youngster deflated, completely taken aback by her father’s icy demeanor as he shook his head in disbelief.

_What did she say?_

Following the alpha’s orders, she trudged off to her room, dragging her backpack behind her dejectedly as she decided to distract herself with homework.

\----

“Wasn’t that a little harsh? She didn’t know any better.” Yokozawa hissed when the door slammed shut behind the moody teenager as he plopped onto the sofa. The poor girl hadn’t even gotten to taste her own dinner that she’d slaved over for the past hour.

“I don’t care, I can’t _believe_ she thinks that’s ok!”

“She’s just a _kid_ -“

“Exactly!” Kirishima cut him off, raking a hand through his almond curls as he paced in front of Yokozawa who sat on the couch.

“I told you to watch what you say around her.” The raven reprimanded matter-of-factly as he folded his arms with a smirk, sinking into the back of the couch cushions.

“How about _you_ watch it?”

_“Hah?”_

“You swear like a _sailor_!”

“ _The fuck_!? Why are you trying to pass the blame on _me_?” Yokozawa now jumped to his feet to stand at Kirishima’s eye-level, invading his personal space as he glared defiantly into molten amber.

“That _right there_ is why!” Kirishima snapped, offering a scowl in return as he waved a finger in front of his lover’s face. The beta mulled over his previous words, and bit back _another_ curse as he realized that it was just a reflex he couldn’t _control_.

“The baby can hear everything, you do know that right?”

“ _Shut up_ , that’s just an old wives-tale.”

“I’m serious.” The brunette insisted as he surged forward to stroke over his belly, hoping to find a quick fix in calming his frayed nerves, but Yokozawa swiftly dodged his advance and folded his arms.

“Go apologize. She didn’t know any better.” The raven demanded in his thorough posture of rejection, gesturing to the youngsters shut door with a shake of his head, promising Kirishima his strange reward later beneath his tone.

“ _Fine_.” The alpha grumbled, stomping off to knock on the butterfly decorated door to plead entrance, only to be met with flat silence. Kirishima waited a moment and his brows knit in concern when he noticed that after he tried to twist the knob the handle wouldn’t give way. _She locked it._ The brunette had never given her a reason to lock her door, what has gotten into her?

“ _What?”_ Yokozawa sniped under a whisper as he watched the alpha give up and retreat to flop onto the sofa at his side, throwing an arm over his eyes in defeat. He was no match for his daughter’s wrath, no matter how many rules he enforced, he was weak to any of the youngster’s attitude directed towards him, especially when she was upset with him…

“S’ locked.” The alpha’s miserable tone covered with a nonchalant shrug. As much as he tried to hide it, Kirishima couldn’t gain his composure when faced with these situations. His little girl meant _everything_ to him. Everything he did was for _her_ , and any thoughts of her possibly harboring any secret feelings of resentment towards him made his heart shatter.

The raven sighed heavily and heaved himself up from his comfy spot on the couch to attempt to coax the youngster out of her room in a gentler approach.

“Hiyo…? It’s Yokozawa…” after a soft knock the beta’s sharp ears waited for any signs of shuffling from behind the barrier, and was surprised to hear a click as the lock snapped out of place to allow access. Kirishima raised his brows and sulked on the furniture as he watched his husband be chosen over him to console the 12-year old. Though as much as he hated to admit it, his rash actions would warrant any reaction like that…

\----

Yokozawa was shocked to see that the youngster’s bright twinkling brown had diminished into a dull fade as her eyes glazed over with sadness, her lids red and puffy from the liquid-salt irritant that spilled down her flush cheeks, spelling evident sorrow. The beta gingerly shut the door behind him and sat down on the teeny twin bed, decked out with various cartoon plushies and vibrant patterns, patting the comforter in encouragement for her to take a seat. Hiyo stiffly teetered forward and finally stumbled right into her Onii-chan’s arms.

“I’m so sorry, onii-chan!” Hiyo warbled regretfully as she hiccupped from shortness of breath.

“What for?” The raven asked incredulously, patting at her back gently for moral-support.

“I-…I don’t know…” The youngster bit her lip as she tried to fumble for a reason for her plea for forgiveness, one she didn’t know herself…

“You don’t have to apologize, you didn’t know any better.”

“Did I…say a bad word?”

“Ah, well, it wasn’t a _bad_ one, but you’re still too young to speak like that, you’ll give both me and your father a heart attack.” The beta chuckled half-heartedly as he stroked her hair comfortingly. Hiyo nodded in understanding and muttered another apology into the crook of his neck. His “Mother’s Scent”, as Kirishima liked to call it, seemed to ease some of the young girl’s distress as the soothing aroma of peaches and vanilla wafted into the emotionally muddled air.

“Don’t worry about it, just don’t repeat what I _or_ your father say, I know we don’t set the best example. It’s only natural for you to adopt our method of speech.” The raven reasoned to himself and the 12-year old, promising in his mind to watch what he says from now on in the youngster’s company.

“C’mon, let’s get you some dinner.” Yokozawa urged as he poked at her tummy teasingly, eliciting a ticklish giggle.

“kay!”

Upon waltzing back into the living room, the raven found no sight of his lover and shrugged, figuring he’d gone to bed after finding that the broken ceramic, and splattered pudding mess had been mopped up. Yokozawa didn’t bother to fuss over his absence and continued to serve himself and Hiyo the meal she’d made (which was oddly a bit spicier than usual…), chatting about their day before they too retired to their own rooms, one where Sorata patiently waited, nestled atop a flower print pillow that smelled like his favorite youngster, while in the other Kirishima sulked beneath the sheets of a spacious, but stiff queen bed. A heavy cloud settled thickly over the room and Yokozawa gulped as he slid into the linens beside him, not bothering to rouse him when he was in a mood.

\----

“Hiyo, my sweet darling it’s time to wake up for school~” Kirishima called out to the sleeping beauty buried beneath her gaudily patterned comforter, after swinging open her door with _way_ too much energy for the morning. Seemed like the alpha had gotten over his harsh parenting demeanor after some brooding, including Yokozawa, except for the grumpy teen refusing to poke her brunette head above the covers.

“I’m not going!” Was her inaudible response as she shifted on the mattress to further slink away from the source of the voice attempting to stir her groggy mind.

“…Why?” Kirishima asked, feeling a prickle of irritation spike, Yokozawa sharply noticing the mood-swing through his bond mark, prompting steel grey to glance his way in concern.

“Just leave me alone!”

_“Hiyori-“_

Kirishima was at a complete loss of how to deal with his daughter’s sudden attitude, taken aback by her sudden change, seemingly over-night… but he was interrupted with a gentle pat at his shoulder from the wild-bear as he gestured that ‘He had this handled’

The alpha wanted to lash out, ‘She’s _my_ daughter’, but knew fully well that Yokozawa had earned his parent badge as he’d helped raise her these past 2 years, and decided to bite his tongue after a moment of consideration. Kirishima sighed and gave him the go ahead as he stalked off into the kitchen to prepare a cup of black coffee.

“Hiyo what’s wrong?” Yokozawa sighed as he attempted to pull the decorated comforter away in hopes of making sense of her uncanny, rash behavior, but the youngster only stubbornly gripped tighter against the beta’s strength, refusing to allow the blankets to budge an _inch_.

“I can’t go today!” her shouted, muffled response, filtering through the fabric she shielded herself with.

“And why’s that?”

“I look ugly!”

Yokozawa openly gaped at her accusation, hearing Kirishima pad towards him in interest,

“Hey now, that’s just insulting your old man’s good looks.” The alpha muttered bitterly as he sipped from the steaming mug he nursed in his hands.

“Go away father!”

Kirishima’s eyes darkened and the room turned cold. He’d had enough of this.

Setting the mug down on the dresser beside him with an audible thud, he took a threatening step forward.

“O-Oi…” Yokozawa warned, tugging on his sleeve, but the alpha only pushed him away as gently as possible, proceeding to yank away the cover’s that his daughter clung to with a vice-like grip. A soft gasp of surprise momentarily sounded in the room and Hiyo quickly shielded her face from sight with her dainty hands. This only fueled the alpha’s fierce curiosity and he advanced again to tug her hands away,

“What is up with you?” Kirishima growled, as he attempted to hold eye-contact with an almond gaze that matched his own, the only difference were their pupils…the alpha’s had turned into thin strips, making the youngster shy away in fear as her eyes watered.

“I have a pimple…and my tummy burns…” Hiyo confessed as she fiddled with her trapped hands. Yokozawa searched her face for any signs of blemishes, and only caught sight of a tiny, innocent, red dot swelling at the tip of her nose. Then it _finally_ clicked when the raven raised his dark brows in realization.

The mood swings, change in appetite, pimples, stomach aches…

“You’ve hit puberty, which means you’ll be presenting soon.” Yokozawa mused aloud and snapped a hand out to check her temperature which was warmer than usual…there was no doubt about it, along with the sour smell of angst she’d been putting off for the past few days.

“No way, she’s still too young.” Kirishima denied insolently, folding his arms as he huffed to regain his composure, refusing to accept the fact that his precious angel was growing up. Hiyo was nervously glancing between the two of them as they made their own decisive conversation, without considering her presence as a third party.

“It’s a little early, but you hit every symptom, you’ll have to stay out of school for the rest of the week until we get you checked out by a doctor.” Yokozawa listed off to the overwhelmed teen as he planned out when he could get her in for an appointment. She was coming up on her thirteenth birthday in just 6 months, it was only natural that she was an early bloomer considering her father was an alpha, which made the chances of her being a beta drop significantly…the thought worried him, he could only _imagine_ what Kirishima was thinking right now.

“I-I’m scared.”

“Don’t be, it’s not so bad, you’re just growing up.” The beta assured and he kneeled in front of her to ruffle her hair affectionately, much like Kirishima’s habit. The 12-year old bit her lip and her gaze wavered,

“But I wanna stay with papa and onii-chan forever.”

“And you will, you’ll grow older, like _we_ do.”

“I’m not _old_ -“

“Zen.” The beta warned with a flick of his hand over his shoulder, considering how much he played the age card, he sure was quick to pitch a fit when people began to dish on him…

“Hey, you know what time it is?” Kirishima asked, drawing the inquiring attention of both his husband and daughter as they turned to look at him.

“We get to visit grandma~”

“Really?”

“Yup! She can tell you all about this stuff, and then it won’t seem as scary.”

Hiyo nodded and finally offered a bright grin that fit her face so much better than a scowl, getting up to pack her bag for the day, the thought of another woman’s company improving her mood drastically.

\----

“How did it go?”

“Good, she talked with Hiyo about what changes she’ll be going through, they even plan to go shopping for _ladies’_ _stuff_ tomorrow.” Kirishima quoted the code word for feminine products as he sipped from a chilled glass of tea, recalling when his mother and daughter practically kicked him out so that they could have some girl time.

“How long is she staying over there?”

“Till Friday.”

Yokozawa calculated the number of days in his head, it was Monday _now_ so…

“Wow, 4 days huh?”

“It’s probably for the best.” The alpha shrugged, catching sight of his lover fidgeting restlessly in his peripheral, and turned to stare at him shamelessly in silent question.

“W-What…?”

Brilliant, cool almond blinked slowly, as if telling him to ‘spill it’.

“I-It’s just…I don’t know what to do with myself when she’s away, I get so bored…” The raven trailed off honestly as he twisted at the silver band resting on his finger in nervous habit, already anticipating the anxiety of wasted daylight when time slipped by slowly.

“Well maybe we can do something together tomorrow?”

“Huh? Don’t you have to work?”

Kirishima let out a beleaguered sigh and rose from his favorite spot on the sofa to brush away the beta’s onyx bangs.

“You’re so dense, the company sent me on leave to be with you in your last month…you do know the due date’s comin’ up right?”

“That’s unnecessary.” Yokozawa denied as he knit his brows in confusion. He’s _fine_ right now. Why does he need another grown man hovering over him 24/7, he could hardly handle the clingy brunette in what little time they spent together…

“Don’t you know _anything_ about alpha’s?” Kirishima snorted, and proceeded to push his lover onto the couch, flat on his back, following in suit to trap him against the cushions as he loomed over him. Steel grey flatly stared up at the alpha unfazed and the ravens mouth snapped open to retort,

“ _Yes. I do_ , I know that their annoying as hell, now get off.” He had to pee and, didn’t feel like messing around right now, emphasizing his point by pushing at Kirishima’s broad shoulders that blocked out the light from above.

“Heh, well that’s part of it.” The alpha’s lip curled into a smirk, as if he knew something the raven didn’t.

“Will you just move?”

“Why the rush?”

At this, Yokozawa had snapped, and narrowed his mesmerizing eyes that Kirishima loved to get lost in, no longer able to bear the persistent tingling at his bladder, a constant reminder of the strain the weight of the baby put on his poor organs.

**“** _You_ , don’t have a _melon_ sitting against your bladder 24/7. I’m not gonna say it again. **Get. off.”** The beta hissed, poking harshly at the brunette’s chest, which finally gave way in understanding as the alpha allowed himself to drop his guard to be pushed backward.

“Need help~?” Kirishima called out teasingly, as merely a joke but wasn’t expecting to hear one in response.

“Sure.” The raven bit out before the bathroom door slammed shut behind him, prompting an audible click shortly after, signaling the lock, making Kirishima snort in amusement.

The brunette entertained himself with reading one of the magazines cast about the coffee table that his mate had been studying thoroughly in preparation for the winding road of parent-hood. As much as Kirishima didn’t want to admit it, in fear of scaring his lover, he was afraid too _, afraid of starting over…_

He struggled all alone with Hiyo, and sure she grew up into a well-mannered young lady, but when she was much younger it was tough. Newborns need a lot of attention and his job didn’t have flexible hours, he was lucky his mom lived so close. But…everything would be fine, he had Yokozawa after all, and he was going to make a great parent, he could just feel it. The raven would never admit it, (though the alpha never knew why, it was one of his best traits), but deep down he loved being around kids and animals. The wild-bear’s heart seems to just melt in their company, and that, _that_ is why he’d fallen so head over heels for him. His compassionate core and rare smile, hidden under that brooding mask, was reserved for just him and his daughter. He was so damn lucky to have someone like him, to have him in his life, to love with all his heart…

“Now, what were you talking about before?” A familiar low voice called out from behind him as the beta stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his hands with a towel.

“Huh?” Kirishima snapped out of his trance, blinking away the moisture that prickled at his cloudy almond eyes. A dark brow rose in silent question, but the brunette simply waved his concerned mate off,

“Ah, nothing, you’ll figure it out~” Kirishima teased, resting his chin against his palm smugly.

“Yeah, whatever.” Yokozawa turned on his heel, tired of the alpha’s games and stalked off into their bedroom to change into his sleep clothes. For whatever reason, the beta couldn’t calm his heart down, getting the sinking feeling that he was in for at least _something_. Just the mere look on his lover’s handsome face told him all he needed to know…yet guarded that one secret he craved to know, what was he hiding from him?

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I'll be back shortly with an update that makes sense with the last bit. Let me know what you think! <3  
> ~Peachy


	26. Prepared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads-up, this chapter is a weee bit short! D:  
> But I promise to make it up in the next chapter, I find myself struggling with matching the different events together without making it look like a jumbled mess, so it's probably best that I have more chapters than a mash up of totally different settings! Thanks so much for reading, enjoy~  
> -Peachy

“Sure is busy~~” Kirishima noted with a light whistle, amongst the crowd that bustled around the jam-packed nursery shop. It was the next day, and Kirishima had suggested that they get some shopping out of the way while they still had time. The alpha had long since gotten rid of anything he’d had when Hiyo was born, seeing that he didn’t have the room for it, nor the patience to store it for another day. Although, the brunette did have a point, he’d never expected to be raising another child besides his precious little girl. So, the logic in pawning off the furniture, and resources to another family who’d been looking to save on expenses was perfectly normal, leaving the pair to purchase an entirely new nursery. Luckily the crowd around them made their appearance less conspicuous, though Yokozawa could catch wandering eyes falling on his handsome mate momentarily, and he found himself having to bite back growls of jealously and possession.

“Hn.” Was the raven’s only response, he was having difficulty making conversation, his cheeks brilliant crimson with mortification. Yokozawa was trying to cover up his embarrassment with sheer force of will by hoping to distract himself with a display of strollers. But to no avail, his face continued to heat up further as each customer walked by, catching sight of him and his state, only to walk away in utter shock. It was odd for onlookers to see a pregnant, male, _beta_ , but Kirishima didn’t seem to be bothered in the least by the stares surrounding them as they continued to stroll through the store as casually as ever.

“Zen (Yes, he was still subjected to the brunette’s annoying, week-long bet), what do you think about-…!!” The raven whirled around only to notice the disturbing absence of his lover. Whether he liked it or not, Yokozawa’s heart sped up rapidly as he searched the crowd frantically for the disappearance of Kirishima. The beta’s throat constricted and air was coming in short pants, as he drew in hitched breaths with each passing minute without his alpha by his side. The anxiety overwhelmed him, that one phrase circling his mind as he felt the crowd closing in on him, _where did he go?_

“You alright?” A smug voice called out as a familiar grip rested on his shoulder, including the comforting scent of the attractive brunette. Yokozawa was spinning around so fast, Kirishima thought he was gonna deck him, but upon feeling the lounge-wear clad raven colliding with his solid chest, he knew this wasn’t the case.

“What, miss me?” Kirishima leered as he circled his arms loosely around the raven’s waist.

“I-I…” The beta was at a loss for words as he groped for a response, why had he panicked so much over the span of 2 minutes!? Covering up his embarrassing outburst he shoved the alpha away hastily and replied with a demanding, snippy,

“Where were you?”

“Huh? I told you I was going to the bathroom…?” The alpha gestured behind him at the restroom door he’d just returned from.

  
Oh. He must’ve been so wrapped up in his task of stroller shopping, he hadn’t even realized he’d left…

_This_ must’ve been what Kirishima had been talking so highly about, being separated from his alpha for even a _fraction_ of time left him unbearably weary and anxious. The thought made him grimace, he was in his thirties! There was no reason to be acting like a nervous teenager when parted from the leering brunette. He just wanted this pregnancy to be over already, it was going to be the death of him…

“Well, what do you think about this?” The beta asked as casually as he could, hoping that he could put the previous moment to rest, in hopes of carrying on _normally_ with their day. The brunette beside him didn’t test him any further and snapped his amber gaze to inspect the modeled stroller that advertised safety, and easy-assembly that his lover pointed at.

“Nah, I think I like this one better.” Kirishima directed the raven’s gaze away to a different, much more expensive version.

“Huh? _Why_?”

“I like the color, and it looks cool.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for here! Are you seriously juvenile? Oi!”

“Oooh look! This little bear is so _cute_!” The alpha cooed over a bin full of animal plushies that he’d wandered off to mid-conversation, completely dodging Yokozawa’s reprimand when he held it up for approval. The beta bit back a snarl, two grown _men_ fussing over stuffed animals was not a settling sight, and hoping to disperse the tense atmosphere of nearby shoppers, the raven complied with picking up a different toy in response.

“Sure, they’re cute, but I like the lion better.” Yokozawa muttered, tossing the little plushie into the basket without any objections from the alpha.

“Kay, oh! Over there, do you see it?” Kirishima questioned with excitement, pointing at another gaudy display of useless gadgets marketed towards first-time parents. He honestly thought this would be a quick and painless job, especially considering the alpha’s experience with Hiyori beforehand.

“Idiot! Will you listen to me and pick stuff that we actually need?!” The raven shouted in exasperation, ignoring the startled strangers around them that turned to stare at him with astonishment and annoyance. _Honestly, shopping with this guy was like babysitting a destructive child!_

“Huh? But you read the books, so _you_ should know what you want to get.” Kirishima turned around to eye him incredulously.

“ _You_ …You’re the one who has already had a kid! Shouldn’t you know anything _other_ than picking stuff up on a whim?”

“Nah, you and Hiyo are _way_ better at that stuff, besides it was mostly my mom and Sakura that did the shopping…” The alpha recalled thoughtfully, before he got distracted by another set of shelving that housed pointless household objects.

“Besides, who says we don’t need…’Safe Forever, Daddy-Bjorn’?” Kirishima tested the title out on his tongue and turned to look at his lover questioningly, holding the box up in proposal, which displayed a proud father with a baby strapped to his chest performing daily activities.

“We don’t _need_ that! Ugh, whatever, just—don’t buy anything without asking me first!”

“Okay~”

And with that, Yokozawa was finally able to get some _actual_ shopping done, but not without the brunette drifting up to him now and then, holding something up for approval. In the raven’s weakness to his pleading lover, he allowed Kirishima to throw a few of the items he presented to him into the cart…

The pair finally left the crowded store, heading towards their next destination, ‘Books Marimo’. Yokozawa had been wanting to pick up a new recipe book that Hiyo had been begging him to buy for their next dinner together. While it rankled to be visiting his most frequented book-store during his rounds as a salesman when he was in _this_ state, it was unfortunately the only store that came to mind with such a diverse selection…

Swallowing his pride and deciding to surprise the youngster with the requested cooking catalogue when she got back from her week at her grandmother’s, the raven pointed his lover in the wrong direction of the train.

The bags that Kirishima toted at his sides rustled as they brushed against his legs every now and then, a reminder of the way the alpha had yanked them out of the beta’s reach in a stubborn attempt to keep him from straining his weakened body. They’d ordered the heavy furniture and boxes to be delivered at the apartment on a later date to avoid the hassle of loading Kirishima’s car later that afternoon after having to fetch it.

The automatic doors of the bookstore slid open and Yokozawa followed his feet automatically to take him on the escalator upstairs where the cookbooks were kept. The beta dragged the alpha who was hot on his heels to a selective display of rows of multiple titles, providing him the name to help his search. Dragging his index finger over the colorful spines, Yokozawa failed to notice the other figure that wandered into their aisle, just as distracted and a little confused. The raven finally looked up upon

noticing Kirishima tense up in his peripheral as he stood to his full height to step in front of his pregnant mate, casting a shadow over his crouched state.

“Idiot what’re you—!!”

“…!!”

Takano’s shocked hazel eyes met Yokozawa’s own who gaped in equal astonishment.

“Yo.” The alpha cooled his features, and tucked the book he’d been holding at his hip to hide its suspiciously familiar cover.

“What’re you doing here?” The beta asked, raising a thin dark brow in suspicion.

“I’m here as a customer and you are…?”

“None of your damn business.”

A lazy snort of amusement sounded in the narrow aisle,

“Good to see you’re back to your usual self.”

“What you got there~” The brunette jumped in to interrupt the friendly interaction between the ravens out of childish jealousy, leaning in uncomfortably close to the seemingly composed alpha, unable to bear the light banter any longer.

“Ah, just doing some reading…”

“Really now, so you read the same books as a pregnant beta?”

“OI!”

“Huh?”

“Y’see, _Takafumi_ here just bought that a few weeks ago, I wonder…what does an alpha need such information for?” Kirishima interrogated with a brilliant amber leer, he was clearly enjoying teasing the, supposedly unbreakable, editor-in-chief of emerald as he pointed accusingly at the book tucked against his side.

“Don’t—call me that!” Yokozawa interjected, humiliated by his mate’s outburst.

“Oh, this? _Onodera_ asked me to buy it.” The alpha replied boldly with a smirk of his own, not giving Kirishima the satisfaction of a flustered response.

_Guess the cats out of the bag…_

Now it was Kirishima’s turn to widen his eyes just a hair before he hid the fraction of broken composure behind a smug mask.

“Huh, never knew that _shrimp_ had it in him.”

Takano failed to hide his snarl of warning at the alpha’s surefire attempt to provoke him, and snapped his teeth, ready to deliver a harsh insult,

“ _Why do you always have to be such-“_

“Kirishi—!!” Yokozawa bit his tongue in just the lick of time, correcting his surely fatal mistake. His pride was at stake here, which, as childish as it sounded, meant _a lot_. Kirishima shot him a knowing look, he had him right where he wanted him, he’d riled up Takano on _purpose_ , knowing that the beta would respond with barking the wrong name. Well two could play at that game…

“ _Zen_. Stop being an ass.” Yokozawa filled in for the seething raven, knowing that was the direction he was going in his next retort. The brunette didn’t bother to wipe the amused look off of his face, as his lover tugged him by the arm towards the registers after swiping up the book they’d been looking for, to save his dear friend from a never-ending fight. The raven already knew the state of Takano’s partner, after smelling the familiar scent that disastrous night through his muddled senses, anyone could’ve picked up on it from a _mile_ _away_.

Kirishima didn’t complain, he’d gotten what he’d wanted after all, and was pleased for the rest of the night, having the satisfaction of knowing that Takano acknowledged that he was finally on a first-name basis with the wild-bear. He’d even turned around to wink in the enraged alpha’s direction with a petulant wave for good measure as Yokozawa fiercely tugged at his bicep, blushing up to his ears.

\----

After Yokozawa made his purchase for the singular recipe book, and practically dragged his lover out of the store behind him; Kirishima decided to finally open his mouth, but it wasn’t an apology for his rash behavior,

“Ah! Wait-wait, I need to stop there _real_ quick.” The alpha requested and jerked around in the beta’s strong grip on his upper-arm to wiggle free. Steel-grey followed the outstretched finger to land on an expensive looking salon and narrowed significantly in annoyance.

“Quit playing around, let’s go home.” Yokozawa snapped attempting to tug him another step towards the train, he was tired of this guy’s childish antics, he could only put up with so much, _in public_ , for one day…

“ _I’m serious!_ ” The brunette pleaded with finality, eventually able to struggle out of his lover’s grasp, and turned to eye his lover with a daring look.

“What could you possibly need there?” The raven sighed, figuring if he just played along, Kirishima would put an end to his hair-brained schemes, but he watched in astonishment as the brunette merely ignored him and walked over to the nearest crosswalk to get across the street.

“Oi! Wait up!” Yokozawa growled, chasing after the alpha, noticing the walking character appeared on the digital screen from afar, counting down the remaining time before the next traffic cycle.

“Want me to hold your hand~?” The brunette teased with a cheeky grin, only to get a rise out of the wild-bear of course.

“ _Hell no_!”

  
“Ahh, so shy…” Kirishima mumbled in disappointment, only adding stress to the raven’s provoked temper.

Upon stepping through the glass doors onto sparkly linoleum, a tall woman with light-blonde hair greeted Kirishima with familiarity and excitement twinkling in her sapphire iris,

“Here to set up an appointment Kirishima-san? Where’s little Hiyo?” She pondered as she fidgeted around in place to search for the youngster, hoping to catch sight of her behind the tall man accompanying her friend.

“Nah, I’m just here to grab something really quick.” The alpha replied politely, pointing a slender finger in the direction of his desired aisle.

“Alright~” the woman waved him off and returned to her task of sweeping after tossing him a flirtatious wink.

Yokozawa failed to bite back a jealous growl entirely at the friendly interaction, and Kirishima merely chuckled deeply as he strolled casually through the shelves holding various hair-care products.

“She’s an old friend of my mother’s” The brunette explained in amusement, providing an excuse for their informal relationship to soothe the raven’s possessive response. The beta blushed in embarrassment for his unwarranted reaction, but nevertheless steered the conversation to a different topic to keep from dwelling on his childish feelings.

“S’ Hiyo out of shampoo or something?” Yokozawa asked after Kirishima dropped to his knees in front of the short shelves to scan his eyes over the colorful, feminine-decorated bottles.

“Found it~” The brunette cheered, simply ignoring him for the umpteenth time that day, as he picked up a tube of shampoo that had the image of a sliced apple splashing though clear water dramatically pasted on the cover for show.

“That’s not the one she uses, It’s _strawberry_ you idiot!” The beta reminded in exasperation, why else would they be in a salon marketed towards women?

“Huh? Who say’s it’s not for _me_?”

Yokozawa balked at the nonchalant reply and only got a light-hearted laugh in response, the brunette’s shoulders shaking violently with mirth.

“What’s with that face?” The alpha chuckled, clutching at his stomach from shortness of breath as he continued to express his amusement with that beautiful laughter.

“ _Hah_!? That’s _women’s_ shampoo!” The raven hissed as he looked over the bottle’s title that the brunette clung to, **‘Lovely Green Apple’ by curl studios.**

_Had he lost his mind?_

“It’s unisex! Besides, how do you think I keep my hair so gorgeous and lush~” the alpha rolled his eyes, tossing his lover a suggestive wink.

“Don’t talk like that, you’re creeping me out” The beta reprimanded, completely at a loss for words, only eliciting another outburst of enjoyment from the alpha.

Kirishima always had something in store for him each day, the raven uncovering more about the alpha little by little. This definitely came as a huge shock, but not as much as the fact that the brunette followed an expensive skincare routine involving _masks_ , he realized after the alpha tossed the box along with his special shampoo onto the belt to be rung up.

\----

“ _I_ _told_ _you_ , it doesn’t go there!” Yokozawa growled in annoyance as Kirishima continued to attempt to twist a screw in the wrong place of a furniture leg.

“It totally does! Read the damn book!”

“I _did_! Just give me the screwdriver.”

“ _Hell no.”_

The couple bickered relentlessly as the clumsy Kirishima tried his hand at the task of furniture assembly, only to find that he was getting very little, if not frustrating, results. The beta at his side insisted that he help, but the alpha’s concern only brushed him aside each time he attempted to lift a measly tool. Their furniture had been delivered yesterday morning and Kirishima was finishing up with the last of the assembly, it was just the crib and a bookshelf left…

“Just go relax, I’ll take care of this.” The brunette frowned as his amber gaze behind the eye-glasses scanned over a fine-print page. These instructions were _ridiculous,_ but he didn’t want to admit that it was a challenge, he still had his own dignity after all, and refused to allow his pregnant mate lift a finger. The raven huffed in aggravation and stomped away, slamming the guest room door shut behind him, in a fit of anger. He wanted to help, it was only fair, but Kirishima’s parentlike nagging to _rest_ was getting on his last nerve. He was _fine_ , and perfectly capable of handling a damned screwdriver!

Yokozawa glanced at the wall-clock anxiously, in anticipation of Hiyo’s arrival that was due this afternoon. Before the couple knew it, their week without the youngster had come to an end, relieving the raven to no end. He cared about Hiyo as if she were his own, and wanted to make sure she was ok during her process of aging; but he and Kirishima had been completely shut out to protect a woman’s secrets.

“I’m home!”

As if planning her entrance perfectly in sync with the beta’s thoughts the 12-year old burst through the front door eagerly, looking the same as always, save for a new outfit that had most definitely been gifted to her from her grandmother.

“Welcome back.” Yokozawa smiled warmly and greet the ever-so-vibrant Hiyo in the genkan as she kicked off her shoes, swinging her pink duffle bag to the side to loop her onii-chan into a welcoming hug.

“It’s good to be home!” Hiyo sighed as the comforting scent of her home and parents relaxed her senses.

The raven blushed and pat at her back awkwardly as she squeezed his back as tightly as possible with the protruding abdomen between them. Kirishima deemed it time for him to step out as well with open arms after dusting off his wood-dust coated hands, all too happy to receive a loving embrace from his dear daughter.

“What have you guys been up to?” Hiyo pried curiously, peeking around her father to eye the previously empty guest room with interest.

“Ah! Is this the baby’s room??” The youngster shouted in excitement, bounding past her father to examine the newly built furniture. The room was decorated with a bear and lion theme, along with jungle-foliage stickers, and pastel rugs/ bedding. It was a soft, comforting nursery, much to Yokozawa’s relief after he’d slaved over shopping with the annoying alpha at his side. The outcome was worth all of the stress, seeing Hiyo’s excited reaction.

“Yup!” Kirishima came up behind her as he admired his hard work, wiping an arm across the perspiration glistening at his forehead. It had taken him two days, but it felt good to sit back and take it all in. It felt like he was _moving_ into another apartment…

“It’s _so_ _cute,_ nice job onii-chan!” The 12-year old gushed while she squished a soft lion plushie in her hands, soaking in the new, childish environment.

Yokozawa smiled softly and muttered an abashed ‘thanks’, but was interrupted by an abrupt complaining whine,

“What, no kudos for papa? I put all of it together!” The alpha proclaimed dramatically, spreading his arm-span to gesture to the room he’d practically _lived_ in for the past couple days.

Hiyo giggled around her retaliation, tossing the stuffed-lion jokingly at her father,

“Sure dad, good job. But you can’t honestly expect me to believe that you picked all of it out…?”

The brunettes sheepish smile was the only form of proof needed for the youngster, and she triumphantly grinned as she turned on her heel to grab her duffel bag from the genkan to start the agonizing process of unpacking.

“Ah, Hiyo I got you something.” The raven called out as he reached for the gift bag he’d left on the table. It wasn’t exactly a special occasion, but he still wanted it to be a surprise, hence the gaudy wrapping.

“Eh? Really?” the 12-year old’s voice shouted from the other room in excitement.

“Mmm” The beta hummed in response with a nod and peeked around the door frame to be met with her jumbled pile of clothes sorted to be washed.

“Sorry for the mess!” Hiyo apologized and turned around to hold her teeny hands out expectantly with anticipation. The rustling of tissue-paper crumpled about the room as the youngster revealed the glossy cover of a recipe-book she’d had her eyes on for some time. Caramel brown lit up upon recognition of the exact catalogue she’d asked for and she smiled brightly,

“Thanks so much! Let’s cook something from it tonight!” The 12-year old suggested as she flipped through the fresh pages, new print wafted into the air, reminding Yokozawa of the very workplace he missed during his time on leave…

A sharp pain zapped through the raven’s lower abdomen, and as much as he tried to hide it the shock from the sudden spasm was written all over his face, along with his scent.

“Huh? Everything ok?” Kirishima wandered over, warm amber swarming with worry after he’d felt the distress almost immediately through their shared bond.

“Yeah just—ugh…” The beta tried to brush him off, but another wave of discomfort hit him, causing him to nearly double over as he hunched his shoulders, gripping the door-frame tightly for support.

Yokozawa felt air bubbling up his throat and he stifled a burp with a hand clapped over his mouth, the pain fading away almost instantly. It was just trapped gas…

He held back a sigh of relief and straightened his posture,

“M’fine, let’s get started on dinner?”

Hiyo looked reluctant at first but nodded enthusiastically as her onii-chan shot her a look that said, ‘I’m fine, really.’ Though Kirishima was not easily convinced,

“Hang on a minute-“

“It was just trapped gas.” The raven admit, a light dusty pink creeping onto his cheek-bones. Even after his warning, however; that dark almond leer continued to stare at him all through the task of his making dinner with Hiyo.

\----

“That’s your fourth plate Y’know” The alpha pointed at Yokozawa’s, now empty, plate as he stood up from his chair to grab yet _another_ serving.

“And?”

“…~~” Kirishima couldn’t hold the silent shake of his shoulders and he stifled his laughter that threatened to bubble to the surface. The beta didn’t bother to defend himself, he was _hungry_ , it wasn’t his fault he had to feed a _second_ during his meals…

After he’d finally finished his fourth and a half serving, Yokozawa called it, allowing Kirishima to take up dish-duty, while he helped Hiyo find something interesting to watch to wrap up the evening. Much to the raven’s surprise the dainty fingers that scrolled over the various spines of DVDs didn’t land on her favorite go-to, but an _action_ film involving race-cars and a street gang that practiced racing as a sport with danger on the side.

“You _sure_ you wanna watch this?” Yokozawa asked, raising a skeptical brow as his gaze swept over a mild-violence warning. The youngster only nodded her head with intense determination sparkling in her eyes, refusing to take no for an answer. The beta looked over at the alpha, his elbows soaked with dishwater who squinted at the movie he held up, (he didn’t have his glasses on…) before shrugging with a passive look pasted across his expression after making out the blurry title ‘Tokyo Drift’. The raven bit back the suggestion to watch something else and fed the CD to the player collecting dust in the shelf beneath the coffee table, while Hiyo scampered off to prepare popcorn. By the time the popping of kernels ceased and the running of the tap sputtered to a stop, Yokozawa pressed play on the remote as his family, including Sorata, came up to sit around him.

Hiyo was out like a light within the first 20 minutes, prompting the alpha’s lids next to him droop heavily with drowsiness, but the beta himself just couldn’t settle down. A stronger surge of pain suddenly coursed through his abdomen, and he held back a gasp of surprise. It felt…different than the other ones, this one had a purpose, it felt _real,_ almost like…

_No. Oh no._

Turmoil washed over Yokozawa as he contemplated the possibility. He wasn’t due for another week! He still had time, he—

He wasn’t _ready_ yet…

Kirishima seemed to shake himself awake as the loud blaring of an engine floated through the speakers while the character geared up his car, attempting a dangerous move.

“Still awake~?” The alpha teased, poking at his side,

“I should ask you that—!! _Hnn…!!”_ The beta gasped when, without warning, a wet sensation leaked down his legs and stood abruptly to hide himself in the bathroom. He thought he had better control over his bladder than this… he was _damn_ _lucky_ Hiyo had been snoozing for the past half-hour, or else he would’ve been _beyond_ mortified. After wiping himself down with a damp towel, and slipping on some pants, he decided to call it a night.

“M, going to bed—“

Again, it was happening again, this same pattern for the past six hours. The only thing changing was the _delay_ between the cramping pains. These were tell-tale signs that he’d gone into labor but…he didn’t want to accept it as reality just yet, if he could just buy more time-

“Alright, let’s go~” Kirishima’s low timbre cut through the raven’s thoughts, startling the contraction right out of him as the brunette jangled his car-keys for show.

“Huh? Where?”

“That’s…5 minutes apart, time to get you to the hospital.” The alpha calculated aloud, rousing his snoozing daughter that let out a snort as she was disturbed from her slouched position on the sofa.

“Wha-??”

“Your water broke, didn’t it.” The leering brunette declared, not nearly as much as a question as an accusation while pointing at his newly donned pair of pants.

“N-No…” The beta tried to lie, but found his voice trembled significantly.

“C’mon snap it up, let’s go.” The alpha demanded while holding out his hand, but he was instantly smacked away as the raven backed away from him.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said no! I can’t do it today!”

“ _Takafumi_ , you can’t choose when stuff like this is going to happen, quit joking around let’s go.” Kirishima urged once again, with more force this time.

“I don’t want to, I can’t….can’t do it…”

“Why not?”

“I-Im scared….I’m scared Zen…” The beta’s voice shook as he weakly gripped at his stomach, as if willing the pain twisting in his low-abdomen to stop.

“Hey…” The alpha ducked forward to lean down and peek beneath his bangs, brushing the silky midnight tendrils to the side.

“I’m scared too…but you know what?”

Yokozawa glanced at the molten amber with his cloudy grey questioningly, a silent demand to continue,

“You’re strong, and I _know_ you can do this.” The brunette declared fiercely while gripping tightly at his palm, shaking their joined hands intensely to gain the steel-grey attention.

“All these months that you have you gone through, grown though, they have only made you tougher, and you came out on top each time, everything was preparing you for this very moment.”

When the beta didn’t seem convinced, Kirishima shushed him just as he parted his lips that were in a thin-tight line, he wasn’t finished,

“And after you brave this, you know what you’ll have?”

“The precious moment when you finally meet that little cub, your whole world will change…” The brunette promised as his eyes grew misty with emotion, poking at the beta’s swollen tummy for emphasis, making everything a reality. This was _finally_ happening, he’d finally be able to meet the gaze of the very child he’s carried for nearly a year, the thought making him weak at the knees. Never in his life would he have entertained the thought of having children, but here he was…helping his lover raise a teenager while he expected a second…

“I’ll be there with you, through every second, you won’t be alone.”

Yokozawa dipped his head and crashed forward into the alpha’s solid chest. Another pain lanced through his tummy, but he wasn’t afraid anymore, and he sucked in a shallow breath.

_He could do this._

And with that, Kirishima lifted his sleepy daughter from the sofa who was now wide-awake and offered Yokozawa his arm for support as he waddled uncomfortably. Kirishima showed his dexterity in multi-tasking as he’d managed to alert both his and Yokozawa’s family of the news with a simple text of the hospital’s location. Meanwhile, the brunette’s proffered limb was stubbornly declined as the raven continued to plod forward, each step carrying him to the elevator, the wild-bear still seemed to keep his pride intact even then.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, now the next chapter I'm really planning it, and I'm so excited! How far these babies have come <3 thanks so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter!  
> ~Peachy


	27. Delivery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been...10 days...  
> but I have returned with a new, long chapter for you guys! I tried to add as much detail as possible so that it does not disappoint. Thank you so much for your patience I'm really sorry it took me so long to get back to you all, but I was on vacation and my resources for writing were limited. But after some time to relax and unwind, my mind is fresh with new, fun ideas! Hope to see you guys soon in the next chapter, and enjoy!  
> ~Peachy

**“I’m gonna kill you.”**

Kirishima felt a death-like grip clinging to his bony hand that felt like it going to be crushed, and his amber gaze faltered as he winced, feeling a phantom pain creeping in his own abdomen, mimicking the pain his mate felt at a mere fraction. This was only a _fourth_ of the agony he was shouldering, he couldn’t imagine what state he’d be in if he were on the other side of their bond-mark…

“Ow—You’re—doing great honey!” His voice was tight with the strength impressed upon his hand, but still managing to sound encouraging to somewhat coach the panting raven who would’ve slaughtered him a million times already if mere looks could kill. He knew once they walked through those hospital doors, his compassionate, shy lover would become a totally different person in the next several hours, but…he hadn’t expected this degree of rage that swept through their shared bond.

  
“Don’t you even fucking say that; do you know how much—GAH” Yokozawa let out a sharp-pained, gasp as numbing pressure began to gather below his hips, signaling the coming of his early child.

The beta grit his teeth with swift fury, how dare this damn kid come a week early! After everything he’d done for them…the least they could do was _-another surge of pain, prompting him to grip his lover’s hand impossibly tighter, earning a shrill hiss-_ give him some more time!

“Okay~ it’s time Yokozawa-san are you ready?” The doctor asked snapping on some blue, latex gloves with an all too cheery smile beneath that mask. The raven glowered and snapped his teeth, resisting the urge to thrash about with the many tubes connected to his arms,

**“Don’t. Ask Me That.”**

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The medic replied, swiveling forward on a backless stool, while the alpha at Yokozawa’s side buttoned up, continuing to endure the death grip his strong lover forced upon his fingers. The least he could do for now was coach him, but he might just piss him off even more if that were possible…

Guess he would have to take that chance~

“On the count of three~” Kirishima encouraged as that clammy palm gripped at his hand tighter, making him hold back a wince.

A distressed-strangled groan found its way out of the raven’s lips, piercing at the alpha’s heart painfully. What he would give to shoulder some of that pain…at least more than he was right now.

“One…”

**“Ugh!”**

“Two~”

**“Fuck you.”**

_This was going to be a long night…_ and they’d already been here for 6 hours the alpha thought glancing at the clock momentarily, remembering that they’d arrived at the hospital around eight that night.

He really couldn’t wait to meet the little one…

\----

About an agonizing hour and a half later Yokozawa finally felt the surging pain in his hips give way, and he heard a squealing cry echoing off the blindingly white room. He could almost sob with relief to hear the healthy howls of his child after all of that painstaking work, the final break of content slowed his thudding pulse rapidly, _finally he could get some damn rest…_

“Congratulations, you have a _healthy baby-girl_!”

The raven felt a weary smile tugging at his lips, while his murky grey watched the doctor pass the wailing newborn into Kirishima’s arms who smiled with his eyes from beneath his mask. Those warm almond irises lit up with pure delight and joy as he finally got to meet the little one, he’d been anticipating eagerly for these 9 months. The beta didn’t have to see past her mottled features to know that she was absolutely beautiful, even with the splotchy skin that dotted a newborns teeny figure.

Kirishima glanced up blearily as emotion overwhelmed him, his trembling voice rejoicing the medic’s claim,

“We have a little girl…”

Yokozawa offered a lazy grin, black spots were beginning to tint his vision and his body felt impossibly weak. He wanted nothing more than to hold his precious daughter, but the lurking cloud that swept over his mind was too strong to resist. The last thing he saw before the darkness swooped over him, was the picture of his lover cradling the very baby he’d worked so hard to nurture for nine months with all the care in the world. Knowing his job had been done, the beta welcomed the threatening void with open arms.

_I’ll just sleep for a little bit…_

Kirishima snapped out of his euphoric state upon noticing the bed-ridden raven’s head loll to the side, his entire body going slack as his weakened muscles gave out. He barely had a moment to soak in what was actually happening before the creeping chill began to bite at his shoulder, the frost spreading through his veins almost as if he’d been dunked in frigid water.

**He _knew_ this feeling. It was one he’d never wanted to experience again.**

The world seemed to spin to a stop all too fast, not giving him enough time to enjoy the moment he shared with his newborn daughter, hurled into a world of despair mere seconds later.

The alpha panicked and hastily handed his newborn child to a nearby nurse to take it away for tests and cleaning, to surge forward and coax his comatose mate out of the looming eternal slumber that crept up on him. However, even with the brunette’s persistent shaking at the limp raven’s shoulders, the monitor screening that life-giving pulse to his side slowed dramatically and he could feel bile rising in his throat. Prompting him to turn to the doctor and lashed out,

“ _You have to help him!_ He’s—!”

“Kirishima-san, please step aside.”

“No! I can’t—…I can’t lose him! _Not again_!” The alpha pleaded sorrowfully his normally tease-lilted voice was a shadow away from a sob, this was all his fault! How could he have not seen this coming, even though he’d had a relatively smooth pregnancy, there was still the danger of after-birth…

_Why, why did this always have to happen to the people he loved!?_

“Sir—”

“ _Please_ —don’t take him away from me!” The delirious brunette begged in a broken tone as he was hastily shoved out of the room, he’d spent the last near-eight hours in. The double doors swung shut, the last thing he could see was a crowd of medics rushing to assist the doctor in checking the raven’s vitals while he barked urgent orders. The one bone-chilling word he could make out was ‘blood-loss’, making his veins run cold.

He didn’t know how long he’d stood there, panting heavily in hysterics before his slitted pupils relaxed and he sucked in a deep breath, before stumbling towards the nearest wall, ready to give up and slump against the chilled plaster wall to let out a howl of grief. But a hand caught his shoulder, and he whirled around, hoping to be met with those mesmerizing ashy-grey eyes, only to see a familiar nurse with an unreadable expression.

Kirishima swallowed, the feeling of dry, sand-paper scratching at his hoarse throat, the whole way he worried about what he would say to his family and what had happened. He could only imagine the look of heartbreak that would cross their eager faces if he told precious Hiyo that her onii-chan would ever come home again—

“He’s stabilized, if you want to see him.” she cautioned, drawling each word carefully to make sure he didn’t misunderstand.

The alpha nodded weakly, and numbly staggered after the short nurse as she pushed the heavy doors to the ICU open.

He was at the beta’s side in an instant, savoring the feeling of the faint warmth gathering in his skin. He was deathly pale, but he was _breathing_ , Kirishima noticed as his eyes frantically traced the gentle rise and fall of the other’s chest.

_He’s alive. He’s gonna be fine._

The brunette told himself over and over, eyes scanning constantly for any signs of his lover waking anytime soon, his heart nearly stopping when the raven finally roused, hazily blinking away the torpor that had consumed him all-too-quickly. Kirishima felt moisture prickle at his eyes, until the dam breached and he was spilling his sorrow down his cheeks. Voicing every emotion, he’d felt in the past several hours into harsh, raw, broken cries of muddled _relief, happiness, sorrow, anger…_

Those beautiful grey eyes that he thought he’d never see again were open, and blinking fuzzily as they took in their surroundings.

“…Zen..?”

Kirishima gasped upon hearing his name fall off of the lips he’d kissed countless times, it was like music to his ears. After hearing his lover’s hoarse voice call out to him, he knew that he had him back again, and finally allowed himself to exhale a ragged sob of pure relief.

“Don’t you _ever,_ fucking scare me like that again, I was _so_ worried.” The alpha wept into the raven’s scent gland, inhaling the aroma like a drug that had been so weak moments ago…

“I’m—sorry…” The raven rasped weakly, he didn’t really know _what_ he was apologizing for but it almost came as a reflex for upsetting the alpha so greatly. Whatever had happened it must have been _bad_ ; had to be, for it to be enough for Kirishima to show his weak-side…

“I thought I was going to… to lose you back there…I-I can’t stand the thought of letting you go—” The alpha babbled through the throaty sobs that shook his body with a force to be reckoned with, choking on the words that spilled worries from his lips.

“It’s—okay, I’m…ok now…” The beta reassured cluelessly, trying to comfort his hysterical lover in any way he could, allowing the painful grip on his hand to continue for the sake of the brunette’s only source of tethering to reality. Kirishima took a few shallow breaths and finally took in a healthy amount of oxygen to calm himself down, kicking himself for losing his composure so horribly.

“You’re ok Zen, I’m not going anywhere.” The raven murmured, soothingly stroking his husbands tear-stained cheek, drying any leftover tears in the process. When the alpha’s breathing finally resembled normal, the beta leaned down to brush the golden-brown tresses away that covered the amber that he desperately wished to see. Yokozawa felt his heart seize at the pitiful expression his lover fixed him, those normally brilliantly bright, almond eyes were dull and clouded with heavy sorrow. The wild-bear stretched closer to press a soft kiss to his forehead, pulling away and allowing the curly almond to regroup around his eyes that were just a bit lighter than before.

Yokozawa’s brows finally pinched with a new concern when there was no sign of the previously wailing newborn after remembering what his body had just been put through from a sharp reminder that lanced through his hips _, how long was he out? How many days has it been? What-_

“What…happened—Where…’s”

“You blacked out after losing too much blood, and—she’s in the nursery with the other newborns.” Kirishima explained, a bitter taste coating his tongue as an apology tickled at the back of his throat, choking his regretful words out too soon before he could think,

“I’m so sorry…”

“For what?”

“This never would’ve happened if I’d have been more careful—“

“Don’t _you dare_ apologize for that. I’m _so_ _happy_. We have another little girl Zen, one that we will love and care for, just as much as Hiyori.” Yokozawa managed to rasp fiercely, his weakened state summoned what strength he had to clench at the nape of his neck tightly, burying his slender fingers in the shaggy almond locks that curled about his fist like vines.

“But you could’ve-“

“I’m fine, now aren’t I?”

Kirishima shook his head into his lover’s neck, a few straggling tears streaming down his flushed cheeks,

“I’m damn happy you are, but…I was _so_ _scared_ that I was going to lose you, I _can’t_ go through that again—“

“Zen, it’s gonna take a lot more than blood loss to get rid of me, I promise, I’ll stay by your side. Until we grow old together, I won’t leave you alone, and you better fucking promise me the same.”

“I-I do.” The alpha stuttered, utterly baffled by the blushing raven’s proposal, his shimmering amber eyes snapping down to the ring that glinted on his left hand, a reminder of the vows they’d made to each-other that special day.

_I’ll stay by your side, and love you with all my heart._

Kirishima felt emotion well up in his chest and in the blink of an eye, plundered Yokozawa’s lips passionately, greedily soaking in the feeling of warmth from his lover. He was all-too-elated to feel his mate return the action with just as much enthusiasm, bringing his arms up to circle around his neck while the alpha loomed over him—

“Ahem—Is this a bad time…?” A nurse traipsed into the room, clearing her throat over the shuffling of her scrubs, with a white, bundled blanket in her arms.

“Ah—no, sorry…” The beta mumbled sheepishly and pulled away from their compromising position hastily, bringing the arm that wasn’t attached to the IV to scratch at the base of his midnight locks.

“Would you like to meet her?” She asked, gently thrusting the dozing newborn towards the raven who blinked in surprise. His deep grey eyes were finally able to take in the features of his child up-close as he gingerly reached his arms forward to accept the warm bundle, prompting him to cradle her safely in his long arms. Her teeny nose scrunched up and she fussed about with her chubby hands as she was tussled around, rousing her from her nap.

Yokozawa barely could make out the fine black hairs that dotted her fragile crown sparsely, and the fine details of her little face. The beta repressed a sob and instead cuddled the fussy newborn against his beating heart.

_This was the best feeling in the world…_

He lifted his finger to wag it around in front of her delicate face, and to his surprise, the round little fingers swaying about grasped on loosely, and he felt his heart swell with pride.

“2.5 Kilograms, and 44 cm. Her pulse is very strong, she is perfectly healthy.” The nurse declared with a wide smile after reading the clip-board supplied to her from the doctor. She offered them some much-needed privacy and stepped out of the room with a gentle farewell that only the handsome brunette noticed, as Yokozawa was too caught up in meeting the child he’d carried for 9 months for the first time.

“She’s perfect…” he cooed softly as the nurse informed him of the newborn’s medical exam. Finally, _finally_ he was able to soak it in, the breathing of his child, the feeling of her fluttering heartbeat, the warmth of her splotchy, pink skin-

“Kuma.” The alpha blurted out, ruining the heart-warming moment.

“ _Huh_?” A slender dark brow rose questioningly, daring a reason for the brunette’s sudden outburst.

“She’s cute, like a little bear-cub~” Kirishima remarked matter-of-factly, wagging a finger in the air.

And while Yokozawa would have normally felt a flash of irritation spark through his head, the only feeling that washed over him was content.

He could see it…

“Yeah…” The raven agreed distantly with a delighted smile as he continued to play the newborns teeny hands, that had a surprisingly strong grip, gazing at her delicate face with overwhelming love. Now he knew what Kirishima meant, he would do anything for the sake of his little girl, including Hiyori of course… after all, he still felt like he held a responsibility over her to keep her under his wing just like any other parent would.

Being a parent wasn’t so bad after all… It was moments like this that reminded you why you work so hard. To put a smile on their adorable face, to bring them laughter, and to keep them protected from harm.

Kirishima’s almond eyes widened in shock, now, he hadn’t expected his stubborn mate to agree so easily; but he wasn’t going to test that bridge, and happily chuckled as he joined in to coo over their little cub they’d eagerly anticipated for too long.

\----

“It’s a girl!” Kirishima proudly announced as he burst through the doors of the busy waiting room, looking a bit disheveled from the recent turmoil and lack of sleep. Ignoring the looks of annoyance cast his way, including the people that shushed him the alpha casually strolled towards his mother who practically hopped from her seat to greet him with excitement.

“Congratulations son!” The sweet woman cheered, clapping her hands soundly, rousing the other family members around her that had dozed off in uncomfortable postures in the stiff chairs.

“You guys really didn’t have to stay this long…” He muttered sheepishly as he took in the relaxed expressions of his dozing relatives.

“Hiyo refused to leave, so we all decided to stay with her.” Himari supplied, offering her son a weary smile.

She _had_ to be exhausted…

“Who wants to meet her? Two at a time so as to not overwhelm mama-bear~” Kirishima chuckled earning an enthusiastic Hiyo at his side in almost an instant, along with Yokozawa’s mother. Her husband was still asleep next to Kirishima’s own father and decided not to wake them just yet, while Himari decided to rest a bit, waving her hand passively to urge her son to take the eager guests back to meet the newborn.

\----

“Takafumi she’s beautiful…” Narumi praised in awe as she took in the sight of her grandchild that fussed in her arms. A sight she’d never expected to see…

“Thanks mom.” The raven offered happily from the hospital bed he rested on. Before he’d had his relatives visit, the nurse wheeled his bed out of the ICU to trade for a smaller, private room which was far nicer, but what he truly wished for was his _own_ room and his _own_ bed. The only problem with that was he would have to stay an extra night at the doctor’s orders, they wanted to keep a close-eye on his vitals just in case his body decided to go into shock. This was so annoying, he just wanted to get out of here and yet he was still confined to this uncomfortable bed _another_ night after this…

“Just thank my good looks~”

“Mine too~”

The beta felt his brow twitch in annoyance as his husband and own mother teamed up to flaunt their attractive genes beneath the flickering fluorescent lights. The unstable lighting was making him sick, not to mention the strong sterile air that stung at his nose anytime he so much as inhaled. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and welcome the comfortable void of sleep, but he put up a strong front for Hiyo’s sake and for the teeny infant that was curled up comfortably in his mother’s arms.

“ _So_ cute!!” Hiyo squealed beneath a whisper as the infant’s teeny hands latched onto her fingers, drawing the raven’s attention back to reality.

“What’s her name?”

“…Kuma…” Yokozawa muttered a bit reluctantly, he felt a bit stupid for the childish name, but Kirishima had insisted that it suit the adorable newborn, and he was weak to agree.

“Like a baby bear? That’s perfect for her, she’s _so cute!”_ Hiyo approved of the name, firmly nodding her head in agreement as she fought to stay awake. But upon sudden movement her brain began to swim, reminding her that she was _way_ past her bed time…

“How about we get you home young lady, my little girl needs sleep to grow~” Kirishima jumped in, slipping into ‘doting-parent mode’.

“I can…can…stay up...!” The youngster drawled sleepily around a yawn, her attempts to stifle it in vain.

“Hiyo, if you don’t get enough sleep, how will you ever out-grow your old man?” Yokozawa snickered weakly from the narrow bed at the center of the room while his family cooed over the infant’s squishy skin.

“ _Hey!_ _I’m_ _not_ —!”

Kirishima had started sourly but got interrupted by a light-hearted, drowsy giggle,

“Haha ok, I have school tomorrow so if you guys _really_ don’t mind…” the 12-year old trailed off reluctantly, she really didn’t want to depart from the company of her newborn sister so soon, or her parents…

“It’s probably best you sleep in a _bed_ instead of a chair, unless Onii-chan is willing to share?” Narumi suggested smugly as she glanced over at her son who seemed to be nodding off.

“Hn?” the raven shot awake upon the familiar nickname and sheepishly wiped at the small trail of drool that had leaked out of his mouth, cringing at the feeling.

“What?” The beta cautioned again as he upright himself beneath the stiff, dry sheets. He missed his _own_ sheets, _and_ his creaky mattress…along with a particular alpha curled around him like a cocoon each night…

“Can I?” The youngster asked curiously as she nervously stepped closer, gesturing to the narrow bed where the very raven laid.

“Huh? Oh, sure…?” Yokozawa scooched over the farthest he could to offer the 12-year old some room, missing the warmth he’d accumulated in his previous spot.

“Wow so warm! I feel like I’m a patient hehe!” Hiyo giggled as she slid beneath the heavy, white blanket.

The beta only offered a nervous chuckle, she says that now, but being a patient was the worst…you couldn’t eat _anything_ good, the room temp was _never_ right and that **_damn_** **_monitor_** that insisted on live-streaming his beeping pulse constantly.

Hearing his own negative thoughts, he bit back a grimace…was he the only one this grumpy when at the hospital?

“No fair, why don’t you sleep with your papa anymore?” The alpha whined from a corner of the room where he lounged in an uncomfortable arm-chair.

“I’m too old for that father!” The youngster pouted in embarrassment.

“You’ll always be my little girl~” Kirishima sing-songed, trying to hide the annoyed lilt in his voice, but his speech quavered lightly, the nearly inaudible growl not going unnoticed by his lover. He wasn’t the only one that was exhausted, if not frustrated…even if he didn’t give birth just 2 hours ago, he still had _some_ bragging rights…

“Alright dear, I’ll bring your father by tomorrow, he can’t seem to keep his head up in the waiting room, I’ll invite Himari in to take my place and get Hiyo home~” The attractive raven guarding the doorway smiled warmly to her son, stepping over to give him a kiss on the cheek and hand him the snoozing newborn before slipping out of the small room.

Yokozawa tried to find a comfortable position to cradle the sleeping infant without elbowing the youngster snuggling against his side. The beta cleared his throat and caught Kirishima lolling his head to the side, snapping up to hazily meet his cool-grey eyes in annoyance.

“Could you…?” the raven shifted around in the narrow bed and gestured to the baby in his arms, an invitation to hold her.

“Ah.” The brunette let out a quiet gasp of realization and heaved himself up, blinking away the daze that settled over his mind to welcome the infant into his open arms.

“Maybe she should get some sleep in the nursery tonight…” The raven mumbled, massaging beneath his eyes, not wanting to rouse her with another visit; but the pleading look in Kirishima’s brilliant amber told a different story.

“Ah, where is my dear grandbaby?” A short, elderly woman hobbled into the room as her feet shuffled against the linoleum, her only announcement of arrival was the hushed whisper before the door had swung open, startling both men. Kirishima extended his long arms to gently pass the bundle of warmth to his mother who had nurtured many before.

“Look at that teeny little nose! Oh, and her rosy cheeks!” The woman cooed softly as she poked at the infant’s scrunched features merrily.

“Congratulations you two…Huh? Am I that boring?” Himari turned to her son after glancing over at the occupied bed where her son-in-law and granddaughter had fallen asleep. Her blanket of chestnut hair mingled with the raven’s sleek locks of night while their heads rested against each other in an uncomfortable slouched position. The soft sounds of light snoring filled the room, lulling the alpha to a languid trance as he continued to stand and keep his mother company.

“I’ll call the nurse in here, you guys need to catch up on sleep to keep up with this little bugger who will most certainly be fussy, considering that the suns almost up…” The woman noted, peeking at the clock on the bedside table that read 4:00 AM.

Kirishima winced and groaned, swiping an exhausted hand over his face.

“Ughh don’t remind me…” He muttered petulantly and slumped into a nearby chair.

“Pfft, well I guess we should get going then, shall we _Hiyo_?” The woman purposefully rose her voice above a whisper to successfully stir the sleepy 12-year old.

“Hmm? Coming grandma…” The youngster mumbled and lethargically hopped from the high bed, using her grandmother’s arm for support after the elderly woman handed her son his newborn daughter.

Moments later a nurse that Himari had flagged down before she’d left swept into the room to accept the snoozing infant from the exhausted alpha’s arms. Kirishima blinked awake in the chair he’d passed out in just twenty minutes ago to hear his lover whimpering softly while he tossed beneath the scratchy sheets.

“What’s wrong love?” The brunette questioned blearily as his lids fluttered open in the dark room.

Yokozawa bit back a harsh whine and sighed in defeat,

“I wanna go home.”

“I know…”

“Can you come here…?” The beta thought after a moment of rash consideration.

“Huh?”

“Just—come here idiot.”

“ _Kay_ , jeez…!” The alpha snapped and hauled himself upright, blinking away the haze that swept over his mind, every instinct in his body was screaming at him to go back to sleep. When his tall figure stopped before the bed, he waited for instructions that only came in multiple pats against the memory foam mattress. It was all the invitation he needed to gingerly lift the sheets and squeeze into the tight space to somewhat lay at his lover’s side. The bed was unbearably narrow and he had to nearly lay half on top of Yokozawa, but to his surprise, he heard no complaints for the rest of the night. The only sound that escaped the grumpy bear’s lips were hums of content each time he carded his hand through those midnight tresses.

\----

“ah, I think he’s waking up…”

“No, I think he’s just dreaming… _oops_ never mind~”

Two voices decidedly far too loud for Yokozawa filtered through his ears at what felt like the ass-crack of dawn, but in reality, it was 4:00 in the afternoon. His sleep schedule was surely going to suffer from this damn hospital trip. The beta sat himself up sluggishly, rubbing at his eyes in annoyance.

“The _hell_ do you want.” He all but demanded through a croak, earning a shocked gasp,

“Yokozawa, you should know better than to swear around a newborn.” A familiar male voice scolded from a corner of the room.

_He knew that voice._

“What— _the_ _fuck_ are you doing here…!?” The raven snapped when his eyes finally adjusted to the afternoon light that streamed through the window, only to reveal his long-time friend, Takano Masamune. The sight of the gift bags collected behind him made him cringe. Just how many visitors had filtered in and out while he was _asleep_?

“God is he always this crabby when he wakes up?” The alpha turned to Kirishima who was slouched in a chair, pointing an accusing thumb over his shoulder casually, making Yokozawa bite back a growl of agitation, not wanting to scare the snorting infant who made teeny little noises through her nose as she tried to somewhat communicate with the man holding her.

Yokozawa glanced over at his father who merrily toyed with the youngster by entertaining her with different hand movements swishing in the air, sometimes cooing softly when she began to fuss. He’d never seen his father interact with any child younger than his eight-year old cousin, and during that interaction there were tears involved and a popped soccer ball…It was definitely a sight to see, a stern man like Kioshi adorably fussing over a tiny infant like she was the most precious girl in the world.

When Kirishima didn’t respond, merely shrugging lower into the chair as he was in a deep sleep, Takano took it upon himself to initiate some light banter with his friend,

“I thought I’d stop by and see the mama bear’s new cub, but maybe that was a mistake…” The raven trailed off amusedly, his hazel eyes glinting with light mischief.

Yokozawa grit his teeth as a tremor of wrath coursed through him. He did _not_ want to put up with this shit right now.

“Doors right there why don’t you use it.” The beta sniped effortlessly while gesturing to the door, fixing the annoying alpha a harsh glare.

  
“Hmm, that might be a little tough y’see Isaka-san demanded that I show him where they were keeping you and sent me in as a punching bag until you calmed down.” Takano supplied picking at his nails with evident boredom. Kirishima didn’t even flinch, he was passed out in the small chair, and his father reached over to pull him up by the arm to keep him from slipping onto the floor.

****

**_“What.”_ **

As if on cue the rather annoying boss of his publishing house burst through the doors dramatically as if he’d been listening outside for the right moment, what irked the raven even more was that he had the audacity to bring his secretary along…

“How is Marukawa’s mama-bear doing with her new cub~”

At this Kirishima finally jolted awake and was instantly on guard with the new scents obscuring his families own, alphas had a difficult time even letting _relatives_ close to their newborn children, but Takano and Isaka (his secretary included)? The brunette’s nostrils flared and he let out a warning rumble to not get to close and instantly scooped up his newborn daughter from Kioshi’s arms protectively.

“Now, now, there’s no need to get aggressive Kirishima-san I mean no harm~”

The alpha didn’t respond and merely bared his teeth at the uninvited guests _, when had Takano even come in here?!_

“I just want to see the youngster that has kept away my best salesman for so long~” Isaka assured and put up his hand innocently to reflect a submissive stance. Meanwhile off to the sidelines, both Yokozawa and Kirishima’s fathers left to keep each other company in the waiting room to avoid the brooding alpha.

Kirishima didn’t budge even if Isaka tried to lighten the sour mood and growled louder, rousing the lazy infant from her seemingly constant cat-nap who started to fuss. Takano got the message and snorted in amusement, sauntering out the door to pester Onodera who was in the waiting room. He’d brought him along to give the other alpha a sense of ease, but the omega absolutely _refused_ to go near Yokozawa when he was in this state, smelling his distressed scent from the waiting room.

“I’ll come back later, Yokozawa.” The raven supplied with a sincere nod of his head before ducking out of the room to escape the tense atmosphere.

Isaka finally gave in and at last bared his neck to the alpha who’d relied on his beast-like instincts ever since he’d so much as stepped into the room. This action seemed to offer the snarling brunette some sense of comfort, for he finally let out a puff of breath and stalked over the corner of the room to sulk in defeat while holding the infant close to his chest possessively. Everyone in the room released a breath they hadn’t known they’d been holding as the atmosphere released its hold, and Isaka was finally able to speak without a guttural growl interrupting him.

“So…?” The president of Marukawa raised his brow expectantly as he looked the bed-ridden Yokozawa up and down who sighed in defeat,

“Girl, 44 centimeters and 2.5 kilos, her name’s Kuma” The raven ground out reluctantly, pausing over his last words.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me, a name like that…But she’s definitely cute I’ll give you that~”

“Is that all?” Yokozawa sniped in retort.

“Ah no, I come bearing gifts, that is if you’re civil enough…?” Isaka challenged defiantly as he smirked knowingly. The beta tested him with a glare of his own until Asahina strode forward to present the very gift’s he’d proclaimed on bringing.

“What’s all this?” Kirishima snooped as he stepped forward curiously, still cradling the tiny infant impossibly close to eye the gift bags skeptically.

“Just a little something from the company~”

Yokozawa’s eyes widened momentarily when he’d unwrapped some newborn clothes, a box of diapers and a baby bag. This was such a kind gesture he didn’t know what to say…the beta ducked his head as regret and shame welled up from his earlier outburst and hissed a sincere ‘thanks’ while his ashy grey continued to lock onto the linoleum stubbornly.

“You’re welcome, we eagerly anticipate your return, see you in 2 months!” The Marukawa employees boss waved as he bid them farewell, smugly strolling out of the room, his stoic secretary hot on his heels after offering a polite bow.

Shortly after the agitating company president left, Takano poked his head back in to make another attempt in welcoming his friend’s child to the world.

“What is it now?” Yokozawa snapped, he was tired of visitors, this was it for him, no more visitors for the rest of the day, Kirishima couldn’t agree more.

_Could he just get some damn sleep?!_

“I won’t keep you long, Onodera and I have something for you if you’ll accept it.” Takano muttered as he gently sat a small bag onto his nightstand that had balloons attached to the handles.

“Ah, um thank you…” the raven replied, scratching at his nape uncomfortably knowing that Onodera was involved. It was still going to take some time before he could actually accept the omega, after all, their personalities clashed and he only wanted the best for his dear friend. But for Takano’s sake he decided to do his finest to swallow his pride and force down any complaints, but that didn’t mean they were best friends all of a sudden…

“C-Congratulations…” The omega muttered from behind the raven alpha, wringing his hands uncomfortably.

“Thanks, I don’t want to hear a peep from either of you at the office about this, got it?” Yokozawa sternly reminded, earning simultaneous nods in response. They understood how imperative it was for him to keep this on the down low, especially since the couple was expecting their own child several months from now, knowing what it was like to want some privacy.

“Good, cheers to you guys too then.” The beta ground out, it was weird to be exchanging congrats with his friend over their growing families, but this was how life was as he got older and settled down it seemed…

“So, how long do they have you holed up in here?”

“Just one more night.” Kirishima groaned from the chair that sat next to the mini cradle nursing the napping infant, who woke up with a fussy squeal. Seems like she was finally hungry…

The alpha called upon a nearby nurse to fetch him a bottle for the wailing newborn, she shot him a funny look, as most mothers breast-feed newborns; but this was not the case it seemed when she stumbled in to offer the _male_ couple proper nutrition that the infant sought with weepy hiccups. Almost out of reflex Kirishima easily lifted the bottle to the newborns lips that greedily latched on to sip on the contents. Yokozawa watched fondly as his lover handled his child with such ease and felt a faint smile creeping at his lips, the heartfelt moment, however, was interrupted by Takano clearing his throat.

“Let us know if you guys need anything, see you around.” The alpha offered and ducked out of the room, the emerald eyed omega stumbling dazedly after him.

_Had what he’d just seen been real?? Did he really just witness the wild-bear of Marukawa smile at a baby that he’d nurtured for 9 months? The thought for some reason was unsettling to him, as the first time he’d met the scowling beta, he’d come off as overpoweringly masculine and uptight. The image of him in that polka-dot apron that Kirishima flashed around nearly sent him into cardiac arrest, but this? How was he supposed to cope with such a memory?_

Yokozawa watched the omega flail out the door and sighed with relief when he was finally alone with just his lover and his child. The sound of the buzzing A/C and the snuffling sounds filtering from the newborn’s lips as she drank down the formula lulled him to sleep.

\----

It was finally the day he was able to check out and Yokozawa was itching to leave ever since he jolted awake at seven in the morning, already out of bed to pack everything up. His hand hovered momentarily over the small gift back that Takano had left behind for him and he sighed, deciding even if it was just another prank, he still went out of his way to bring it to him so he owed him in at least opening the damn thing…

Relief and content washed over him when he pulled out a modest card that congratulated him, as much as It grated on his pride to be called ‘mother’ on the bold print. But what the card beheld was an even finer present, as it was a gift card with a large sum of points towards any purchase at a local nursery shop, which calmed his nerves. He was afraid people would’ve gone out of their way to purchase them furniture and what not (which they already have prepared back at home), but to his relief those that offered gifts kept it simple and straight to the point.

Kirishima broke him out of his thoughts with a low whistle as he inspected the plastic card slotted in his lover’s slender fingers and reached out to pluck it from his grasp.

“This could really come in handy~” The alpha claimed and swept over to the new go-bag that Isaka had just brought them to collect what they’d received from family and friends and pack it away. Seems like he was more eager than Yokozawa to leave as he was already going about the room to organize everything for their long-awaited departure.

“You should’ve said something if you were awake!” The raven turned around to snap at the absence of his lover, who was now in the small lavatory to brush his teeth and somewhat freshen up without having to use the shower.

Kirishima stepped out with a questioning hum to repeat what he’d said, as he occupied himself with the toothbrush producing minty froth that scrubbed at his teeth.

“ _Gross_. Never mind.”

The brunette shrugged and waltzed back into the bathroom to rinse out his mouth, right as the doctor stepped into the room for a morning check-up.

“How are you guys today? Eager to leave I see…?”

Yokozawa flushed bright red and fiddled with his hands as the doctor caught him out of bed on his feet.

“Y-Yes.”  


“Good to see you’re all healthy, just let me check on a few things before we start the paperwork for discharge to get you out of here.” The doctor smiled knowingly, though he was very confused…most parents dreamed of having an extra night at the hospital with the surefire accessibility of trained nurses, but this couple showed the eager anticipation that of a child’s to return home.

\----

Yokozawa let out an exhausted sigh when he finally slid into the passenger side of Kirishima’s car, after buckling in his newborn daughter protectively in her car-seat. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window as he waited for his lover to start the vehicle that would shuttle him home and away from this god-awful hospital. It wasn’t like he was treated poorly, the Hospital was rather nice and well-managed, but any hospital in his mind wouldn’t meet the criteria as home as much as their tiny little 3-bedroom apartment did.

Hiyo had been staying at home with her grandmother as she house-sat for them, and made sure Hiyo was well taken care of. Kirishima was just itching to see his daughter and his own apartment and his hands buzzed with energy as he shakily flicked on the ignition.

_‘I can’t wait to get home.’_

\----

Kirishima couldn’t help but notice a strange surge of unfamiliar energy that slipped from beneath his front door as he cautiously pushed his key into the lock. Something felt…off…it was almost _too_ _quiet_ …

The front door swung open and Yokozawa was assaulted with a noisy display of color and sound from many loved ones that rushed to crowd around the entrance. Blinking past the confetti, he recognized each of his family members, mother, father, Kirishima’s family including his four sisters, and of course Hiyo who skipped up to them while she held a chubby cat that yowled with annoyance from the burst of noise.

“Welcome home Papa, Onii-chan!!” Hiyo cheered, blowing a small streamer as she read the gaudy words displayed on the banner that hung in the entryway that was inviting them home. Sorata wormed out of her grasp and scampered off to isolate himself from the large crowd, probably beneath the 12-year old’s sunlit bed.

Kirishima scooped his daughter up who giggled in delight as she was reunited with her family.

“It was so lonely without you guys!” The youngster pouted and buried her face affectionately in her father’s chest, when suddenly, she pulled away abruptly and jumped out of his arms, her face scrunched with disgust.

“You smell! Go change!” the precious girl complained, pinching at her nose tightly, giving her a nasally lilt to her voice.

“Haha, yes ma’am~” Kirishima chuckled softly after patting her head reflexively, and strolled off to close his bedroom door shut behind him, unlike Yokozawa he didn’t have his family bring him a change of clothes…so he was stuck in the same outfit which lost its crisp, clean smell the first night he spent at the hospital.

Yokozawa adjusted his hold on the infant in his arms that began to slide downwards, and settled for cradling her in his arms, tilting her face away from the bright light and loud noise to rest comfortably against his solid abdomen. The farther down you traveled on his stomach, the softer and pudgier it got. After all, you don’t just magically lose all the weight you gained during pregnancy, unfortunately. It seemed he was going to have to begin a workout routine soon to get back into shape…

Not long after Kirishima emerged from his room in a clean outfit, were his sister’s too eager to contain their excitement any longer. The group of mature women pounced on their brother, demanding that he show them their newborn niece to which he weakly pointed at the flustered raven who held the very infant in question. Each family member took their time to coo over the little cub’s features, claiming that she had Yokozawa’s hair and Kirishima’s laziness. The alpha pitched a fit after being labeled the lazy one of the family, but after gazing down at the snoozing infant with some thought, he swallowed his pride and admit to harboring the inactive trait, recalling the many times he’d dozed off in the stiff arm-chair at the hospital…and at work…

The large family entertained each other with light chatter and shared food until one by one, everyone began to exhibit the tell-tale signs of nightly exhaustion. Hiyo was the first one to go, spinning on her heel to her bedroom after bidding everyone a good night.

“So Neechan, how long are you guys out here for this time?” Kirishima asked Aia with a raised brow as he casually sipped on a glass of chilled tea.

“Hmm, probably just a few more days…as soon as we heard your adorable bear had gone into labor, we flagged down the fastest flight here.”

“You _really_ didn’t have to do that…” the brunette sighed in exasperation at his sister’s overwhelming enthusiasm.

“Of course, we did! How else am I supposed to congratulate my baby brother~”?

“With a _card_ in the mail like everyone else.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Yokozawa’s parents left later in the evening to catch the train, along with Kirishima’s as well, which Kirishima offered to give them a lift, but they stubbornly declined, insisting he spend time with his newborn daughter. However, as each family member filtered out, the brunette noticed a crucial detail…his sisters had all fallen asleep around the apartment, leaving him to question their living terms with him... Aia had crashed with Hiyo in her tiny twin bed along with Ran who slept on a futon on the floor, while Kuri and Natsu had dozed off on the couch. Kirishima hounded his parents to wake them up and take them with them, but the comment they departed with chilled him to his bones.

_“What do you mean? They’re staying with_ you _of course.”_

“What’s with that expression?” Yokozawa asked in concern after the alpha turned around in a ghastly state when the front door slammed shut in his face.

The sight of the four suitcases collected at the doorway made sense now…

“…three…. _day’s_ …”

“What was that?”

“….” Kirishima kept murmuring inaudibly under his breath until his lover snapped him out of it, shaking at his shoulder’s roughly.

“OI, I can’t understand you when you speak like that!” The raven scolded, thumping a fist atop the alpha’s head to gain his attention. Those brilliant almond eyes looked up with a pitiful expression as if his world had shattered.

“Out with it.”

“…My sister’s”

“Yeah they’re here. _So what_?” Yokozawa demanded, running out of patience as he tapped his foot against the tiled entryway.

“They’re staying with us for _three days_.” The brunette wailed and flopped against his tense lover’s shoulder.

_Oh dear…_

As if on cue, the baby in the other room began howling for comfort and nutrition making Yokozawa flinch,

_This was going to be a long week…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked it <3  
> I will see you guys soon with a new fun chapter! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!  
> ~Peachy


	28. Mama bear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I'm back! as sad as I am to come close to the end, I'm thinking 2 more chapters, but dont worry! I'll do my best to wrap this up well, I'm just not very experienced with writing endings because I've never completed a fic before...Though I do had two other story ideas that I really look forward to writing, i'll go into more detail later! But please enjoy and sorry for the wait again ;-;  
> -Peachy

“I’m back~” Hiyo exclaimed as she burst through the front door, toting a multitude of different colored bags from varied department stores. The youngster’s aunts filtering in after her, carrying their own bouquet of paper bags that rustled against their long legs. Hiyo was over-the moon with excitement upon hearing her aunts would be staying with her for the next 3 days. She finally had someone to shop with! Sure Yuki-chan enjoyed shopping, but she didn’t hold the same taste as Hiyo when it came to clothing and accessories, and grandma was fun to be around, but she wasn’t nearly as funny as her aunties.

“How was the mall?” Yokozawa asked, casually strolling up with a chubby infant resting over his shoulder as he pat the tiny-one’s back.

“So huge! It was sooo crowded, but I got some really cool stuff~” Hiyo cheered, as she reflected on her adventure that day.

“Really? You’ll have to show your father and I then.” The raven chuckled as she squat down to rifle through her bags, plucking a select one from the group to display it for her onii-chan.

“What’s this…?” Yokozawa asked, cocking his head to the side as he peeked into the bag that assaulted his nose with a swirling aroma of different smells.

“It ‘s called a ‘bath-bomb’”

“’Bath…bomb??’” The raven experimentally tested the strange name as he reached into the bag to curiously inspect one, he’d randomly picked from the stack. The texture was strange, if not surprising, as the product itself was round, circular and held the consistency of dry-packed sand, but it was pink and it smelled like roses…

“Mhm! It’s been all over the media, and Yuki-chan told me I _had_ to try one!

“What does it do?”

“It makes your bath smell reall~y nice and fizzy, and your skin feels so soft after!” The youngster enthused as she bounced on the balls of her feet with uncontained excitement.

“Huh…” Yokozawa shrugged and gingerly set the product back in its spot with the other dozen, colorful spheres collected in the bag.

“Wanna try one?”

At his daughter’s suggestion, Kirishima finally perked up from the couch to nosily insert himself in their conversation. Curious to see what all the fuss was about he silently stepped up behind his lover, winking at his daughter to keep quiet.

“Umm, I’m good…” The beta shrugged as he continued to pat at the newborns back, who’d undoubtedly fallen asleep. While Yokozawa was quick to button up when she suggested they chose some to share out of her basket, Kirishima was grinning widely in agreement, swinging his arm around his lover to loop him into another one of his hair-brained schemes with a ‘good idea~’,

but Hiyo laughed merrily, playing him off as being a jokester and happily jogged into the bathroom, buzzing with excitement to try the trend that’s been plaguing her teen-feed page for the last _week_! _Which was a long time for a teenager by the way._

“Was she a hassle?” Kirishima asked his eldest sister who shook her head in response after the bathroom door thumped shut, and the running of the faucet filtered through the small crack beneath that frame,

“We had girl-time~” Natsu replied, lifting up her collection of feminine bags for emphasis

The alpha only offered a disinterested hum and plucked the dozing youngster from his lover’s shoulder to place her in her adorable crib, a much quieter space for an afternoon nap.

“So, you guys are heading out tomorrow right?” Yokozawa asked the group of sun kissed women gathered in the genkan, each of them crouched down to massage at their feet, sighing collectively. Young little Hiyo was energetic as ever, and had dragged her aunties from shop to shop with a purpose leaving their soles sore and, their joints aching for relief.

While Kirishima’s sisters were fairly high-maintenance guests in the cramped apartment, Yokozawa was going to be a bit reluctant to see them go. Aia and Kuri were a great help with keeping the fussy newborn entertained, and they mutually formed a task-force for the angsty pre-teen that had unpredictable mood-swings. They knew just how to handle her when one of the stress-inducing fits of irritation came about, turning Kirishima’s precious angel into a force to be reckoned with. Not only were they appreciated in terms of expertise, but also their general company.

Everyday Kirishima’s sisters shared a new secret about their dear baby-brother that made Yokozawa bite back a howl of laughter. Like the one-time Natsu used him to practice makeup on the first day of middle-school, or the other time he was chased by a dog after jumping the neighbor’s fence to retrieve his basketball, only to tear his pants straight down the middle trying to scrabble back over the splintery wood…

It unfolded a whole new world for Yokozawa to be told all about just _how_ his husband came to be the popular, handsome Kirishima Zen. After all, the raven never had any siblings himself, just…distant relatives, it was nice for a change to be surrounded by family sharing nostalgic memories, _and_ being blessed with the rare blush that dusted Kirishima’s face upon another exposed detail about his childhood.

“Yup! Just one more _slumber party_ and we’ll be out of your hair!” Ran chipped in, her cherry red lips curling with mischief.

At this Kirishima poked his head out of the nursery reluctantly, he didn’t like the sound of that…

“Eh? A sleepover??” Hiyo had swung open the bathroom door after her bath, skipping into the room, donned in her fluffy cat-print robe as a flowery scent wafted behind her.

“You can invite Yuki-chan if you want~” Aia proposed merrily, smoothly casting her brother a smug glance.

“Can I father?” Big brown eyes pleaded, making the alpha’s heart twist with guilt from even thinking of saying _no_. The brunette hung his head in defeat and offered a thumbs-up, too weak to his daughter’s adorable features.

“Yay!!” Hiyo rejoiced and high-fived each of her aunts, scampering off to her room to change into her favorite pajamas and phone her best fried with the bedazzled phone she traded for, for her 12th birthday.

\----

The rest of the evening, Yokozawa and Kirishima were restricted to their room, only bothered to be asked a question about how to work the DVD player, and where they kept the popcorn. They of course kept the baby with them, finally making use of the portable wheels at the ends of the crib’s legs.

Kirishima was all-too happy to have the opportunity to snuggle his lover, Kuma was a heavy sleeper and lights-out was nearly an hour ago, leaving the group gathered in the living to give in to their drooping eyelids during their final movie for the night. The coast was clear for the alpha to be as lovey-dovey as he wanted to without being reprimanded by his shy wild-bear. Though Yokozawa had other plans, and wrenched the hands burning brands on his hips beneath his pajama bottoms away and back to the other-side of the bed.

“Cut it out—that tickles.”

“Can’t I at least cuddle you?” Kirishima whined reaching out again, only to be harshly shoved away again with a soft ‘oof’.

_“Hell no.”_

“C’mon what does it hurt? Everyone’s asleep~”

“Just go to sleep idiot!”

“I miss my pregnant Takafumi…” The alpha sighed purposefully, this was all just a plan to rile him up, but in all honesty, he did miss that needy part of his shy lover that seemed to disappear post-pregnancy.

“Hah!? What’s _that_ supposed to mean??” Yokozawa was now turning around to glare fiercely at the brunette that had provoked him.

“Oh nothing~”

“…” Steel grey raked over his bed-mates form, for any signs of body language. What was he getting at…?

“Aww I get all hot when you look at me like that~”

“I’m not _doing_ _anything_.” The beta stubbornly snapped venomously, his posture going rigid to keep his lover from reading him.

“S’ no use, I can feel _everything_ , _Takafumi_.” Kirishima teased, carefully tracing a finger against his bond mark to elicit a phantom caress on the raven’s shoulder.

“Nn!…Cut—that out!”

“Shh you’ll wake her up~” The alpha reminded him of the sleeping infant at the foot of the bed with the wave of a slender finger, her snuffling snores drifting into the air softly as a reminder.

“Ugh, whatever. Just—come over here before I change my mind.” The raven sniped, gesturing to his side of the bed with some effort by lifting up the heavy blankets. Brilliant amber lit up and the brunette didn’t argue as he eagerly slid into the warm space to cradle his stubborn lover in his arms as they collectively drifted off into the deep.

\----

“Do you have to go??” Hiyo pleaded as her auntie’s gathered around the front door around noon. Waking them all up had been a chore, as Kirishima’s sisters were by no-means light-sleepers, a trait that the alpha himself shared with them as well…

“Aww, we’ll visit you guys again.” Kuri knelt down to welcome the youngster into her arms. She was the most affectionate between the four of them and it really showed, as that was her sixth hug for the youngster that day.

“You’d better tell me the next time you’re planning to visit sis.” Kirishima warned his eldest sister Aia who nodded deeply in mock seriousness. _So that’s where he got it from…_ Yokozawa marveled as he watched the sibling’s interaction unfold.

“Of course, brother.”

“Ugh cut that out.” Upon hearing the serious tone laced in her normally joy-lilted voice, Kirishima suppressed a shudder when his sister referred to him with almost no emotion. Aia chuckled brightly as she’d been joking around, and swept forward to wrap her brother into a comforting hug.

“Yes, my dear baby-brother we’ll give you a heads-up next time, though it might be a while before our schedules can fit again…” The woman trailed off sadly as she pulled away to kiss the youngster’s fragile crown, that her brother in-law held in his arms to see them off. Yokozawa was shocked to receive a farewell hug of his own and didn’t know how to react except blush brightly and pat her back awkwardly.

“Well, we won’t keep you waiting, you guys all have flights to catch…” Kirishima trailed off waving with both of his hands, impatiently signaling the women to finally make their long-awaited exit.

“Whatever you say little bro, you just want us out of your hair~” Ran teased as she rolled her suitcase behind her and out the door as the group filed out of the apartment, leaving the room unbearably silent after the door swung shut. Though to Kirishima, this was a blessed release of tension and he let out a deep sigh of relief as he flopped face-down onto the long couch.

_That hadn’t been nearly as bad as he thought_...the alpha reminisced as he recapped the past three days over in his memory,

_The first day they had been rather difficult, his sisters wanted to sight-see, even though they’ve_ already _visited Tokyo multiple times, they insisted on viewing main attractions and dragging the trio all around the city. Kuma had the time of her life strapped to Kirishima’s chest (a gift from Yokozawa’s mother), but it was exhausting toting a fussy baby around in large crowds…The next day was a little more lax, but Kirishima was the laughing stock of the house as his sisters continued to blurt out hilarious memories of his eventful childhood, being the only boy out of four siblings; and later they finally left with Hiyo to make a trip to the mall, relieving the embarrassed alpha to no end. It took him nearly two hours to get his lover to wipe that smirk off his face! But this morning was a bit difficult as his sisters scampered around the apartment, gathering their stray belongings to tote home in their carry-on bags. . ._

**“Little bro! Have you seen my curling iron??” Aia stormed into the room frantically early that morning.**

**“Uh—”**

**“Whoops~ it’s right here—hey remember that time you tried to use my curling iron and mom had to cut your burned hair right before school—”**

**“Neechan…”**

**“Oh, I totally remember that! You were so cute, you cried all morning because mom ruined your stylish look~” Ran cooed from her lounging spot on the couch, making Yokozawa snicker from the dining table. Kirishima’s face burned bright red when Hiyo began snorting in amusement as well _, his own daughter!_**

**“Enough!” The alpha barked and got an annoying flick to the forehead from a sharp, maroon nail.**

**“Respect your elders~”**

**“That’s right, I’m just being picked on by a bunch of _old hags_.” Kirishima sniped triumphantly folding his arms across his chest as he allowed his trademark smirk to spread across his face.**

**“Take it back.” Ran demanded seeing her twin, Natsu’s, eyes beginning to water. She wasn’t that old…she was in her early forties…**

**“Nope~”**

**“Owowow!!” Aia reached over to pinch her brother’s ear harshly, earning a pained plea to let him go, her freckles scrunching with the rest of her face as she held a threatening grin.**

**“Apologize. You hurt your dear sister’s feelings.” The brunette woman scolded sharply almost like his own mother, she was after all the oldest of the group and looked out for all of them as if they were her children, weird as it may be.**

**“You started it!”**

**“I’m waiting~” Aia warned, tugging harder on the shell of his ear, earning a hiss of torture.**

**“Ugh _fine!_ I’m sorry! _There._ Are you happy now??” The alpha growled, his tone laced with pure annoyance, slapping his sister’s hand away to flee. The woman was faster and grasped onto the back of his shirt, hauling him backwards onto the couch.**

**“Say it like you mean it.”**

**“Leave me alone!”**

**“You never learn, do you?” The woman shook her head in disappointment as she moved to pinch his ear again.**

**“Ow—Stop! MOM!” Kirishima blurted out, clamping a hand over his mouth as he plead for his mother petulantly. For some reason he still struggled with his sisters even in his mid-thirties… The woman known as ‘mom’ was the only one who could effectively tame her flock of children, the four women feared her as she was _scary_ when pissed. Even though the nurturing guardian was not there, Kirishima unconsciously called for the only one that could resolve this mess. To his dismay, he was mocked in humiliation as Yokozawa and Hiyori howled with laughter from afar, watching such a cocky alpha submit to the clutches of his elder siblings. **

Kirishima groaned into the couch, muffling his deep voice as he called Yokozawa to his side.

“Was it _really_ that bad?” Yokozawa drew up to a stop in front of his lax body splayed lazily on the narrow sofa, smirking with amusement.

_“Yes.”_ Came the muffled reply from the green cushions where his face was buried.

“C’mon, go and get ready, we’re gonna take Hiyo to lunch.”

“M’not hungry…”

“Doesn’t matter, spend some time with your daughter.”

“She’s just gonna make fun of me—Gah!!”

The angered bear clenched his fist in the alpha’s shirt and yanked him upwards with a heaving effort, the seams of the clothing pressing insistently against his neck and arms.

“Get your lazy ass up and stop sulking you idiot!” The beta barked as he’d finally run out of patience.

“Ok, _ok!_ ” Kirishima groaned and upright himself, tugging down on his shirt back into a comfortable place.

“Now go get ready.”

“ _Jeez,_ are you my mom??”

The look that joking amber got in response was icy-grey, making his blood run cold as his lover continued his defensive stance of folded arms braced against his chest, Kuma nowhere in sight. She was probably enjoying a nap right about now…

“…sorry.” The alpha mumbled almost instantly taking his retort back in fear of the wild-bear’s wrath.

“Just go.”

“Yessir~”

Yokozawa sighed heavily behind him and stalked off into the little one’s nursery, probably to gaze at her delicate features. It seemed her eyes had finally opened fully the other day, revealing caramel brown, gemstones. While the raven tried to hide it, Kirishima saw his little choked up moment as he gazed upon his daughter’s appearance that resembled both him and his mate. After nearly ten minutes of Hiyori and Yokozawa waiting for the brunette to emerge in something other than his pajamas, as they’d already been dressed for the day, Kirishima’s head finally poked out of the small bedroom. _This guy_ …if Yokozawa and Hiyori didn’t nag him he’d never change out of his loungewear, nor wake up at a decent time.

\----

“Ahh~ that was so good! What did you get again ma—I-I mean onii-chan??” Hiyo enthused as they walked out of the family restaurant around 3 in the afternoon. After much pleading, Yokozawa allowed Hiyo to take a bite off of his plate, as his meal looked, how she put it, delectable. She was really into big vocabulary lately and demonstrated this nearly _every day_ , shocking the mated pair she parade about with to no-end whenever she fired off advanced language in her speech. But Hiyo had made many slip-ups today whenever she tried to address her onii-chan, ultimately causing quite the fluster as she caught her self just in the lick of time before Yokozawa could piece it together. The raven raised a dark, slender brow at her 5th slip of the tongue and decided to confront her,

“Hiyo, why do you keep messing up whenever you talk to me?” The beta asked casually, watching Hiyo’s footing trip for a moment on a crease in the sidewalk in surprise.

“H-Huh?? Nothing at all! You must be hearing things haha!!” The flustered twelve-year-old tried to laugh him off but was further perused by her own father,

“No, you’ve definitely been saying something else…what is it?” Kirishima pried slyly, he’d heard it too after all, and he had a hunch on what this was about.

“N-No I’m not!” The youngster put up a stubborn front, puffing out her cheeks.

“Hiyo, are you accidentally calling Yokozawa ‘mama’?”

“NO!” Hiyo instantly shouted as she blushed from head to toe, a good second to her Onii-chan’s face right about now as he stopped playing with Kuma’s teeny arm and she began to fuss for renewed attention.

“Is this true?” Yokozawa gaped at the shy youngster who kept her head ducked towards the ground.

“Eh—um…” The youngster started, but lost almost all of her courage.

“It’s ok, I’m not mad, just…why _mama_ and not onii-chan?” The raven knelt down, making the picture of a gentle mother right about now as he could with his bear-like appearance, what with the baby strapped to his chest as he ruffled the 12-year-old’s hair encouragingly. Kirishima and him took turns on their outings, so as to keep a good rotation to relieve their backs and keep the newborn entertained with a swapped companion.

“I-It feels weird calling you onii-chan…”

Yokozawa bit back a grimace, he knew this day was coming, he just wasn’t ready to face it, he _knew_ she would get weirded out eventually, it was only a matter of time—

“Umm…” The youngster began to twist her hands to work up to what she wanted to say next, only fueling the raven’s fear of rejection further. The beta took a deep breath and pulled his hand away from her amber tresses to sway limply at his side. What was he thinking…? Could he really have a normal family with a _man_ and his daughter who most certainly preferred a _feminine_ mother—

“Can I call you ‘dad’?” Hiyo asked reluctantly, as if she were afraid to say it, her watery brown eyes glued to the cement beneath her feet.

_Huh?_

Kirishima’s breath caught in his throat behind him and Yokozawa felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

“W-Why—all of a sudden…?” He was at a complete loss for words, his steely grey blinking stupidly as if this were some weird dream.

“B-Because you take care of me like pa- I mean father does, but you don’t want to be called mama, so…”

“You don’t have to push yourself…I know I’m not _really_ your—"

“No! I want to, mama must have sent you because me and papa were lonely! You take care of me all the time, cook with me, shop for me…you’re just like a mama to me….” She trailed off as a few tears streaked down her delicate face.

“H-Hiyo…”

“So please let me call you father!” The youngster ducked into a determined bow, her braids that Yokozawa had so carefully done that morning swinging at the sides of her head. The raven turned around and gingerly unbuckled the newborn from his abdomen to hand her to his husband, for what he planned next wouldn’t be the safest maneuver for the infant,

Hiyo gasped when she was lifted into the air to be spun in a light circle, giggling when her dear Onii-chan pulled her into an affectionate embrace.

“ _Of course_ , you can, if that’s how you really feel…” Yokozawa grinned, resting his head against her teeny one to nuzzle her hair, the light trails of water streaming down his own cheek-bones stuck to the stray strands that flowed about the loose braids. The youngster wiped her eyes furiously when she was gently set back onto the ground, only to fly into his abdomen once again.

Kirishima behind him held an expression that could only be described as copious amounts of love. This is what he had wanted, for one day his daughter to accept the wild-bear just as he had that raining night. He knew he was a keeper that night he’d brought the gloomy salesman home to her and they’d instantly clicked. That apron picture had long since sealed the raven’s fate, as he’d cared enough about Hiyo’s feelings to tamp down his overflowing pride just for his little girl.

“You two…I feel so left out…” The alpha tried to tease around his own choked up state as he played with his baby’s chubby hands who was currently kicking around energetically, beginning to pout a few agitated whimpers. Seems she was hungry… _again_ …

Hiyo laughed almost angelically and instantly tugged on Yokozawa’s hand behind her, forcing his long legs to stumble after her as she skipped towards her sulking father who’d been a few steps behind them. Clasping her father’s hand with her free one, they walked down the street towards the parked car that awaited them with the addition of a car-seats, as they strolled without a care in the world in a comfortable chain with Hiyo as the middle link.

\----

“Umm…”

“What’s up Hiyo?” Yokozawa asked after he felt a teeny hand snap out to tug on his shirt just as he was about to follow his husband into their dark bedroom where Kirishima was likely very eager to shower him with affection.

“can I sleep here?”

“…”

The raven paused as he tried to process what she had requested, ah right, she must be feeling sensitive. It’s been a long time since she’d snoozed off in the comfort of her father’s company. This was hardly the time to be selfish, as Kirishima had whined about the lack of opportunities to get the chance to sleep with his adorable daughter. There most likely wouldn’t be another chance, as she was nearing thirteen, her stubborn pride of independence beginning to take form. It’s not about him right now…

“Sure, just let your papa know, I’m gonna grab a blanket real quick—" another persistent tug on his sleepshirt told him otherwise as he was kept in place under the power of that teeny arm.

“Y-You and papa…”

“Huh?”

“Like that night when it was raining, and I was scared of the lightning.”

Yokozawa blinked and he recalled the memory hazily, as if had all just been a dream when the youngster had reluctantly crept into their room with a squirmy Sorata. The feline nowhere in sight, he occupied himself nowadays with guarding the newborn in the guest-room during the evening, his glittering eyes carefully watching the snuffling infant with interest. The first night Yokozawa had brought her home, Sorata would not leave his side in the company of the newborn, and even refused to sleep atop Hiyo’s head like usual, while it did annoy the 12-year old at first, she looked at it from a different perspective, Sorata was just protecting his family was all…

“All right…”

“Really??” Hiyo’s eyes lit up and the raven was instantly reminded just why it was so rewarding to be a parent. To know that _he_ put that look on her angelic face made him the happiest man alive. He liked taking care of people, being relied on, it was just his nature…

“Yup, just know your papa snores really loud, like growling in his sleep! Oh, and don’t take his spot, he got _really_ mad at me last time.” The beta had leaned down to whisper into her ear with a chuckle, earning a giggle in response as that teeny hand clenched tighter in the black long-sleeve that guided her through Kirishima’s lair where he had already crashed. Upon sensing his lover enter with a second pair of shuffling feet, the alpha perked up almost instantly, his growling snore coming to an inelegant halt.

“Hiyo…?”

The youngster said nothing and instead lifted the blankets to crawl into the middle, settling down between the mated pair. Kirishima knew better than to question it, and instead snuggled his daughter sweetly, as this moment was just too rare to put into jeopardy with his teasing. The alpha snapped his eyes up in the moonlit room to inspect his lover’s features that gazed down at the 12-year old with overwhelming love.

“Just like a mama~” Kirishima teased after being in the clear when the wild-bear began to snore lightly.

\----

“Hah~ what a day…” Kirishima groaned the second he stepped through the door, hoping to see the sight of his lover gently nursing their adorable infant when he came to greet him in the hall, but it seemed there would be no such thing. Upon tiptoeing further into the apartment after shrugging off his coat and trading his loafers for slippers, the alpha caught the wild-bear entranced with many papers scattered around the dining table as he poured over them. The alpha smirked and cleared his throat loudly to gain the raven’s attention, but got a harsh, almost instantaneous ‘Shh!!’, as he had just gotten the newborn cub to fall asleep an hour ago.

Kirishima made the gesture of zipping his lips and casually sauntered over to inspect just what the beta was up to, and…the whereabouts of his absent daughter.

“S’ this work?” burning amber tried to make out the blurry fine-print, but it was useless without the thick frames in front of his face…

“Are you blind? It’s our bills.”

“Ah whoops.”

“Kirishima-san don’t tell me…”

“It’s fine! Nobody can read fine print from this far away, and what did I say about calling me that?”

“Tsk!” was Yokozawa’s only reply as he turned his focus back to the scattered papers in front of him.

“By the way, where’s my precious girl?” Kirishima casually asked as he bent down to inspect the fridge for any beer cans.

“Ah, Hiyo left with her school this morning for a bi-monthly outdoor camp. Don’t you remember signing her up after she begged you for nearly 2 weeks? She sent you a text to say good-bye since you slept in this morning.”

The alpha frowned and withdrew his cell from his pocket to confirm Yokozawa’s claim, actually he had _six_ unread messages. Two from his lover and 4 from his daughter, guess he’d been so caught up in work he hadn’t noticed. Kirishima hissed when his temple began to throb and he instantly moved to apply pressure, but it wasn’t helping. Yokozawa felt the alpha’s annoyance like a flowing tide and perked up from the table to dip his brow with evident concern,

“You alright?”

“Yeah M’ just stressed about this deadline is all…important things are beginning to slip my mind.”

“Why not take a bath? Want me to run the water for you?”

Kirishima contemplated his lover’s suggestion and was struck with a stroke of brilliance or just plain stupidity as he was reminded of Hiyo’s recent mall trip just a few days back, involving the strange, powdery orbs that enhanced the bathwater she would draw.

_If Hiyo liked them so much there had to be something great about them. Every time she walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of varied mist with a sheet-mask balancing on her delicate face, she looked so relaxed, which, the alpha desperately needed…_

Not bothering to answer the agitated bear that began to hiss his name from the far-end of the room, as he hated being ignored, the alpha escaped to the bathroom. Upon swinging the door shut he knelt down to rifle through the cabinet as the smell of fruity aroma’s curled out of the bag he’d grasped onto.

_She should still have some left…_

“Ah-ha~” Kirishima whispered triumphantly as he seized a grape-fruit-scented fizzy that held a spherical shape. Standing up to draw some water in the tub, the brunette began to hum amusedly to himself as he picked up a nearby magazine about women’s health one of his sisters had left behind beneath the sink storage to entertain himself.

\----

TAP, TAP

_“Kirishima-san?”_

His only reason for interrupting his lover in the bath was because after inspecting the fridge to distract himself from his agitation after being _ignored_ , he’d noticed that the alpha had purchased a multitude of the same product in bulk. It was such a waste, and no matter how many damn times he reprimanded him, the guy just wouldn’t listen. _This_ was why Hiyo couldn’t be away for a week on a school trip. One, because poor Yokozawa would get no sleep whatsoever, _and_ _two_ her father didn’t have a clue when It came to shopping for necessities responsibly.

Said alpha poked his amber head up from the bath to peek at the doorway, glancing back to his magazine after recognizing the voice of his lover,

“Come in~”

The brunette sang from his comfortable spot in the silky water, while he balanced his elbows against the rims of the tub to keep his (Aia’s) yoga magazine dry.

Kirishima hummed after scanning his almond eyes over a couple in a complicated tangle of limbs, and attempted to mimic one of their poses, one that consisted of reaching for your toes in the air while resting on your back as flatly as possible. The scented bathwater around him sloshed violently as he strained to reach for—!!

“Can you explain to me why you—!!”

The door swung open violently and the raven revealed his tall frame after stepping through the doorway, a sickeningly sweet aroma of citrus attacking his sensitive sense of smell. While he’d gotten used to the aroma floating about the apartment almost every night the past few days when Hiyo had brought them home, he wasn’t expecting the girly scent to haunt him even after she had left for the mountains…

Yokozawa dropped the receipt he was holding, the paper fluttering gracefully to the floor while he gaped at the sight presented to him.

“WAH—Oww dammit!!” The alpha sniped after slipping on the slick porcelain, a result of losing focus from trying to concentrate on reaching for his dripping toes while facing his seething lover. His head popped up from beneath the murky sunset water to glare at the beta from beneath his sopping wet mop of curls.

“What the _hell_ are you doing…?!”

“The hell does it look like, why don’t you join me~” Kirishima suggested while fishing through the opaque water in search of the sheet-mask that had fallen into the depths of the liquid autumn.

“No. Seriously Zen, What the _fuck_ are you doing?” Yokozawa demanded as he tried to piece together just why his masculine lover was soaking in scented water, while wearing an expensive sheet-mask, _and_ reading a magazine for young couples…

“I wanted to see what all the hype was about.” The alpha shrugged casually, turning back to reading his magazine.

“I can’t believe you…” The raven sighed as he swiped a hand over his face in exaggeration, _honestly_ , this guy was truly beginning to wear him out…

“Well, are you gonna join me like a _man_ , or are you just gonna stand there and bitch all night?”

“ _You…_ ” Yokozawa was already rising to the challenge before he could register the slide of fabric over his head as he yanked his shirt off. Kirishima darted his tongue over his dry lips as he watched his sensual mate unbuckle his belt and slip out of his jeans. The beta couldn’t help the flush of deep crimson creeping up his cheeks as he stripped his underwear under that lusty gave but ignored it until he was over the small wall of the tub, sinking into the scented water. He didn’t know what compelled him to partake in such an activity, either it was the wine he drank during dinner or his alpha’s heated command that tested his fierce pride.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the water was significantly different if not in scent, but texture as well. The silky liquid dripped from his hands as he played around with some foam that had gathered along the edges of the tub.

“Huh…S’ not that bad actually…”

“Right? My skin feels so soft, I can’t wait to touch you after this~”

“Oi…”

“So I was reading this, and I think I know how we can improve your flexibility.” Dazzling amber gleamed brightly as he flipped the magazine around for reference, the beta’s cheeks erupting into brilliant flames as he scanned the title ‘Couples Yoga’.

“Hah!? Why does that matter all of a sudden??”

“Because you’re so stiff when we—”

Yokozawa didn’t let him finish and slammed his drenched hands against the rim of the tub, nearly slipping while lifting himself up after not even soaking for a full 5 minutes…

_“That’s it. Times up.”_ The raven snapped, hastily wrapping a towel around his waist to make a swift escape with his dripping feet as his lover pouted from his comfort in the molten sunset water. He was sick of his hair-brained schemes already, and sought to distract himself with more pressing matters like the infant that was most likely whining for attention.

_Honestly,_ it felt like Kirishima was a _third_ child he had to deal with!

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope to see you soon in the next chapter~   
> I'll do my best to not lag behind so much!  
> -Peachy


	29. Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back! It did take me a while but I made it long for you guys! I plan to wrap this up in the next chapter, and while I'm sad to see my idea put to rest i'm burning out on new ideas to continue because I can't stop thinking of new fics I want to start, and im feeling like it's starting to show in my plot! Thank you so much for sticking with me this far and thank you for supporting me! I love you all so much so I will do my best to wrap this up gracefully, but in the meantime enjoy a nice long chapter! Thank you for waiting patiently and enjoy,  
> ~Peachy

\----

Yokozawa inhaled the fresh morning air of May, feeling the tension in his shoulders relax, birds around him chirped happy tunes as he bathed in the warmth of glittering, orange-hues from the sun while nursing, yes, _finally_ , a cup of steaming coffee,

It had been nearly two months since Hiyo had returned from her outdoor ed trip as soon as summer vacation started and she was eager to return and finish her projects early. Meanwhile, Yokozawa had finally got back on track in terms of fitness. He was relieved to no-end to see progress when the extra weight he’d gained during those past 9 months began to drop. It’s not like extra weight necessarily _bothered_ him, but looking at his lover’s own toned abdomen and well-defined limbs had made him less than confident to show his own body. Henceforth the strict routine he’d practiced each morning to recover, he hadn’t felt this good since his early twenties…

‘I should really get to the gym more often’ Yokozawa sighed mentally whilst balancing his cheek against the palm of his hand as he gazed out over the slowly-waking city from the veranda. The beta let out a surprised yelp when Kirishima crept up behind him and licked the exposed nape of his neck.

“GAH— What are you doing!??” He snapped, shivering violently and whirled around to glare at the amused alpha whose simmering almond eyes glowed with the hues of the sunlight all too brightly.

“Hiyo has a question for her ‘dad’”

“Huh? Why me?”

“Dunno, she wouldn’t tell me.” Kirishima shrugged and waltzed back into his bedroom to get dressed for the day. He was obviously hurt, but this had become routine, whenever Hiyo had a question it was almost always about cooking or homework. Yokozawa was far better at answering than he, so the alpha decided to back off and let ‘mama-bear’ handle it. Kirishima smirked to himself as he shrugged on a crisp, white-shirt. He’d be killed if he was ever caught saying that…amber iris flicked over to the folded shirt resting amongst many dust-covered boxes of family photos and knick-knacks gathered in his closet. The alpha reached out a hand to gently lift the navy-blue T-shirt with the annoying embroidered words that his lover couldn’t _stand._

_Mama bear._

He let out a light chuckle as he remembered how pissed Yokozawa got when Takano handed him that gift bag, he got lucky that Kirishima had stopped him from running, otherwise the editor of emerald would surely have been in for it…including that Onodera guy. Kirishima’s finger brushed over the threads of the letters and his eyes crinkled with mirth. He was so damn lucky…but he was so close to losing him, what would happen if they went through with it again, could his body take the strain? He grimaced in thought when he recalled that night his stubborn lover had finally confessed to wanting a big family with him, and he’d never been happier, but there was always the consequence that threatened the beta’s very life…

The alpha flinched when he felt a strong, looming presence behind him and dared to slowly turn his head. Behind him Yokozawa stood with clenched fists as his glare settled on the fabric bunched in his hands. Kirishima gulped and clenched the near brand-new article tighter.

****

**_“The hell did I say about that damn shirt.”_** The beta snapped and thrust his open palm forward as he waited for the brunette to dutifully hand it over, their terms of agreement that kept Yokozawa from incinerating the tee was simple. Don’t touch it.

“That’s strike _two_ and then I’m really gonna throw it out the window.” Though it was an honest gift from his long-time friend, it grated on his pride to have the damn thing in his possession. But…a gift was a gift and that is what kept him from throwing it out, the sentimental value it held, even if it was annoying as hell, and there was also his lover’s pleading. He knew in his mind that his threats had no real plan of action. It was just that. A threat to keep himself from seeing that humiliating shirt that gave him mixed feelings.

“Heh, sorry, just lost in a memory…” Kirishima chuckled nervously and set the shirt back in its resting place, he knew he outmatched his husband in strength, but he was a true force to be reckoned with when he was _genuinely_ pissed. Yokozawa sighed and drew his hand back to his side, turning to step out of the room to answer the youngster who had been hollering for him for the past ten minutes.

“M’coming Hiyo, Mmmf!!—” Kirishima had other plans and pinned the wild-bear against a nearby wall in a flash to seal his lips with his own. The beta hastily shoved at his chest as the alpha’s tongue feverishly tasted the coffee that lingered in his mouth.

“Hhm…” He felt a pair of sturdy hands brace against his hips yanking him forward into a tight embrace seconds before his knees buckled. Kirishima finally pulled away reluctantly to rest his forehead against his husband’s, looking deeply into his entrancing steel-grey eyes.

_Husband_.

That’s right, he had this man all to himself…

The alpha huffed and leaned back in for another heated lip-lock, reaching down to grope the raven’s firm backside, but was roughly shoved away with forcibly summoned strength.

“ _Fuck_ , what’s with you…?” The beta snapped as he wiped at his mouth and dipped his brow to get a good look at the brunette. His breath caught in his throat when he was met with dilated pupils and a faint blush dusting his lover’s pallor skin as he drew in hitched breaths.

“Kirishima-san— oof…” Kirishima didn’t answer and only shoved at his shoulder while cocking his head in the direction of the 12-year old’s room after taking a deep breath.

_Keep it down._

“Go.”

“Huh?”

Yokozawa looked like he was about to argue, frowning with concern, but an impatient shout called for him once again,

“Daaaad!!”

The raven glanced back at his lover’s hunched figure once again before steeling himself and fleeing the room to answer the youngster. Yokozawa took a deep breath, unable to get the alpha out of his mind, his dark expression that had fixated on him was etched in his mind. With a light knock pleading access, which was impatiently granted, he politely entered the colorful room and took a seat on the teeny mattress to hear her out, but nothing she said came through to him as he was too lost in thought.

“So I…..yuki-chan…..summer…..practice..”

Still, as strange as the expression his lover held was…he felt like he’d seen that face before. He’s heard of something like this with alpha’s…what was it again…?

“Huh? Hey….ou…listen…me?”

Yokozawa snapped out of his daze as he frantically rifled through his mental folders, it was on the tip of his tongue just now dammit!

“Ah, sorry, what was that?” The beta sheepishly apologized and offered a light smile to the annoyed teen.

“Jeez! Pay attention!” The youngster spouted and started her spiel from the top,

“Do you know anything about soccer?”

Yokozawa perked up and earnestly answered her question,

“Yeah, I played a little in junior high…and high school…college…” the raven seemed to keep adding to his claim as he remembered just how long he’d dedicated his time to the sport. It was a great relief from stress and he actually enjoyed himself during that time…

“EH!?? So, you must know _a lot,_ right!? So cooool!! Father played basketball, but he didn’t play in college, he was too busy with studies and I like soccer way better...” Hiyo enthused almost as-if she’d been star-struck.

“Uhm…I’m a little rusty but—”

“Why don’t you play anymore?”

“Ah, I injured my ankle pretty bad and hit a rut, so—!!”

That’s what it was! Kirishima was in a rut…something that an alpha experienced around spring-time, similar to that of a heat, instead lasting nearly the entire season. Though this experience was not nearly as intense, as depending on the alpha’s self-control, the fever could easily be controlled and their lives would go on business as usual. He was sure that Kirishima would at least attempt to reign it in, the beta couldn’t just drop the kids off at his in-law’s house, it felt _wrong_ without a valid excuse. The beta mentally face-palmed, how could he forget??

“Huh? Why’d you stop?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, why are you so interested in soccer all of a sudden?” Yokozawa turned the question back on the curious 12-year old who instantly lit up and darted over to her closet (Yokozawa fanning his flushed face almost frantically while her back was turned), searching for something, and came back with a basic soccer-ball cradled in her arms.

“Yuki-chan and I were going to try out for soccer next season, so we wanted to get some practice over the summer!”

“Really now?” The raven replied amusedly, she was so darn cute. It was summer-break for the youngster now, but they were still in between seasons, about 2 weeks left of spring, so it might be a little rainy…water and soccer did _not_ mix very well, _that_ , he knew from experience.

“Yup! Yuki-Chan’s sister played soccer in high-school so she said she could teach us, but…she left suddenly to study abroad.”

“…”

“But this works out perfectly! Now you can teach us, and you get to play again!”

“E-Eh?”

“Please?” The youngster begged with her adorable brown eyes, her trump card in winning over anyone’s heart, especially the raven’s.

“I don’t know…I’m probably underqualified, I got hurt pretty badly after all…” Yokozawa trailed off, it’d been a long time, hell nearly eleven years! He didn’t have the credibility to teach two young kids, that should be left to a professional—

“Didn’t you _just_ say you played all the way through college? Give yourself some more credit once in a while.” Kirishima chuckled deeply as he sauntered into the room Yokozawa openly gaping after him as he took a seat next to him on the teeny twin-bed.

“Y-You heard that?”

“Yup, can’t believe you never told me…” The alpha muttered bitterly with a snicker.

“I-I didn’t mean to—” Yokozawa instantly felt a guilty tug at his heartstrings as a wave of hurt washed through his bond, and he instantly tried to clear it up.

“Father! It’s not nice to eavesdrop!” The 12-year old chided as she watched the awkward scene unfold.

“Heh, sorry, I wanted to know what was up, so soccer eh? I wonder if Yokozawa still has his uniform…?~”

“Eh? Do you?? Can I see it?” The youngster pleaded, she was really interested in the beta’s past it seemed.

“Uhm, I might still have it in my old room, at my parent’s house…?” Yokozawa scratched his neck in thought, not missing the wink Kirishima sent his way.

_Dammit, he’d fallen right into his trap…_

“Aww…Oh! That reminds me! When can we visit them next?” Hiyo bounced back from her dejected state in mere seconds, while Kirishima unabashedly sulked off to the side,

_Damn, he was really looking forward to that uniform._

Yokozawa felt a chill go up his spine as he could already tell what his perverted lover had been thinking and tossed him a wary glare.

“Probably not soon, they’re really busy…” The beta answered honestly as he reflected on how hard his parents worked every day. They were about at the average age to retire but, they loved working, so much like him, they’d never give that up…which reminds him, he can go back to work next month! Just the thought sent a flutter through his heart, he’d missed his job so much, it was going to be so great to get back into sales! Normally an employee on a luxuriously long leave of absence would be dreading the mere thought of returning to their day job, but the beta couldn’t help it, he was born a workaholic, Kirishima had even accused him many times of being married to his work instead of him…

“Aww ok…Well let me know when you get in touch! Can I call them? I wanna see how their doing!” The youngster suggested, she truly loved Yokozawa’s family which relieved the stressed raven to no-end.

“I suppose, but after dinner alright?” Yokozawa replied softly, his parents worked quite late in the evening and they still had a full day ahead of them.

“Then should we go to the park? Do you think you can teach me how to play?”

Yokozawa glanced nervously at Kirishima who nod in approval. Who was a better teacher for Hiyo than her own guardian? The raven sighed in defeat, he just didn’t want to mess this up.

“Alright, but we’ll only do easy stuff got it? I don’t want you trying any flashy tricks, and end up hurting yourself.” The beta relented on a strict circumstance while he pat the youngster’s head gently.

“Yessir!”

“Alright I’m gonna go get changed, Kirishima-san get the stroller ready.” Yokozawa called to the alpha while stepping out of the room to find his own.

“Huh? Who’s that??” The alpha played dumb, tapping at his chin in mock thought as his voice didn’t bother to hide the teasing lilt.

“You heard me well and clear _Zen_ , I’m not gonna ask you again.” The raven snapped from the other room as he pulled on a pair of shorts, looking around for some cleats only to realize everything was still packed away at his childhood home. Track-shoes are gonna have to work for now…he could probably afford to get some new ones if he were to practice with the energetic Hiyo every day, the wear and tear on his old pair was fairly evident. It wouldn’t hurt to get the youngster her own pair as well.

Oh well, they just won’t do anything too crazy, he’ll just teach her on kicking for now and making sure she understands the rules, maybe run some laps…

“Yes, mama bear~”

Yokozawa swung his shoe out the bedroom door after yanking it open in warning.

“Haha sorry~”

“Hm.” He didn’t sound _sorry_ one bit, the bastard.

\----

“Ah sorry!!” Hiyo apologized merely seconds after kicking the soccer ball to spiral towards the raven that was coaching her.

“Don’t worry about it.” Yokozawa waved her off, he’d been nailed in the gut with a ball too many times to count, this didn’t bother him one bit.

“Don’t worry about getting goals right now, just focus on your form when kicking the ball, I know it may seem easy but you can’t kick it with your toes, you have to angle—”

“~~what’s taking so long! I wanted to see the wild-bear in action~~” Kirishima whistled from a blanket on the grass while he entertained the infant he was watching with bouncy movements.

“ _You_ , I’m here to teach _Hiyo_ , not to show off!” The beta snapped from further away in the field, the smell of freshly mowed grass tingling at his nose, the afternoon sun above him was sweltering, and the nice shady spot beneath the tree his lover lounged around looked tempting…

“Haha, it’s ok dad, don’t mind father~” The youngster giggled while she kicked the spinning sphere at her feet in place.

“Hey! I heard that!” Kirishima shouted, making sure to cover his newborn’s teeny ears when he raised his growling voice. However hard he tried to bite down the agitated growl, as It was an alpha’s reflex, the infant still felt the unsettling vibrations.

“Oh no, no, its okay...” The alpha cooed when her glittering brown eyes began to squint and water, her face scrunching up as she snuffled, leading to the full out tantrum that was sure to come. Her wailing could be heard from across the field and Yokozawa was already jogging over to comfort the distressed newborn before Kirishima even had a chance to calm her down.

“What did you do idiot??” The beta hissed and scooped up the infant from his husbands arms to cradle her with comfort, only making the howls of distress all-the-louder. Now Hiyo was worried and she too jumped over to assess the situation after picking up the grass-stained soccer ball.

“Damn, she normally calms down by now…” The raven muttered and his brows dipped with frustration as the hiccupping wails got more violent while the youngster thrashed about in his arms, her pale skin turning bright red with agitation beneath the little koala-themed onesie he’d dressed her in that morning. Thinking back that was a bad idea…he just wasn’t expecting it to be so damn hot outside!

“Ah, may I try??” The 12-year old asked curiously, holding out her arms while she took a seat on the ugly-plaid blanket. (another one of Kirishima’s impulse buys, apparently for ‘if they ever go camping’)

Yokozawa leaned down and obliged, gingerly passing the gurgling infant into Hiyo’s teeny arms.

“Heavier than I thought! There, there~” Hiyo consoled the infant, gently brushing her tears away while she stroked over the fine, black hairs dotting the crown of her head with almost a featherlike touch. Curious amber peeked open as Kuma had ceased her wriggling to stare curiously up at the new companion holding her. The youngster’s balled fists opened and closed dexterously as she reached for Hiyo’s dangling braids with newfound curiosity. Hiyo smiled warmly and hoisted the infant up to rest against her shoulder while patting her back gently. A sound emitting from the sweet girl merely swept away all tension gathered in the air, shocking the grown men as they took in the adorable sight.

“Did you just purr?”

“Huh, just like sora-chan? So that’s what it is…” The 12-year old muttered aloud in thought while cupping at her throat in wonder, meaning that it’d had been a common occurrence.

“Umm…” Yokozawa gulped and turned to look at his lover worriedly, purring was something only an omega or new parent could do. The beta hadn’t even bothered to try it because it was mortifying, and would warrant Kirishima’s relentless teasing, but Hiyo was out of _his_ category so that means she might present as…

It’s not that being an omega in this world was a bad thing, but it was still worrisome. They were often rare among the population, yet they were taken advantage of and abused, kidnapped, trafficked. Kirishima wanted nothing more for his little girl to be safe, but now that she practically had a target on her back it made it…difficult. He didn’t want to scare her off being a helicopter-parent, but that was the only way to make sure she was truly protected.

The alpha sighed, he was getting ahead of himself. He’d raised his angel to be a clever girl and she was by no means weak, you just can’t help but worry when it comes to your own blood…

“Hehe~ do we have any toys for her?” The 12-year old turned to her father after the newborn’s fragile, but strong arms tugged experimentally on her bound locks, the tears on her face dry leaving behind an expression of evident wonder.

“Ah, yeah just a minute…” Kirishima muttered when he snapped from his trance, it was strange how quickly the youngster calmed down after being passed to the arms of her daughter, that was how Hiyo used to be, but _he_ was the only one to calm her down. He was a bit jealous, but then again, he was the one who growled in the first place. The alpha reached into the baby-bag that smelled faintly of talcum powder and fished out a stuffed lion, passing it over to the young girl to offer in exchange for her entertaining, dangling hair.

“All better now~” The youngster cheered and handed the amused newborn back to her father.

“We have a few hours before the sun begins to set, let’s practice some more and get some dinner! Then we can bring Yuki-chan with us tomorrow morning!”

“Alright.” Yokozawa’s eyes crinkled with mirth as he watched the 12-year old enthusiastically scamper off to the set of nets provided by the park-management. It was Sunday tomorrow anyways so he could spare some time, and then they could practice after he got off work at least 3 nights a week when it starts up next month, _that_ he promised. Kirishima was just going to have to tap into his newborn parenting skills, that came with shocking ease, just a bit more for Hiyo’s sake.

“Hang on, you need to eat some lunch!” The beta called after the 12-year old already bounding towards the nets where they’d already occupied themselves for the past 4 hours. Kirishima chuckled from the shade of the tree as he watched his husband and daughter interact so well, it as almost like a dream, being this happy again.

\----

“Man, I’m exhausted~~” Hiyo noted aloud in a pout as she dragged her sluggish body after her parents that were so far ahead of her.

“Heh, wanna piggy-back ride?” The alpha suggested with an amused glint in his eyes after turning around to wait for the far-behind duckling they had lost on the way, the stroller grinding to a halt on the loose gravel. The park they’d gone to was merely a 5-minute walk, but going from a moderate amount of exercise a week at school to a suddenly new routine was stressful on the body.

“I’m too old for that!” The youngster fumed in embarrassment as she finally caught up to her father who continued to push the stroller along in front of him, the occupant in a heavy slumber while clutching the plush toy with a vice-grip.

“I don’t feel like cooking tonight; can we get takeout?” Hiyo admit once they’d finally stepped into the air-conditioned apartment, accumulated sweat cooling against skin uncomfortably, pushing Yokozawa to zip into the shower ahead of anyone. He hated the feeling of sweat, and dirt clinging to his skin, it was so uncomfortable and reminded him all to well of his heat that was surely going to be coming next year. Sure, it was a long way’s away, after all, his body still had to recover properly hence the time gap, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t looking forward to it anytime soon, Kirishima on the other hand…

_“What sounds good?_ ” The alpha asked from outside the bathroom door after picking up the house phone to place an order at a nearby eatery. Hiyo provided her answer and Yokozawa flicked on the faucet just as the buttons of the handheld beeped singularly, glowing in a bright green beneath Kirishima’s fingers _. If they were the only two here Kirishima would answer his own question with ‘you’, turning his eyes on him like he were prey._

He wasn’t an omega dammit, so why did he have to go into heat just because of his bond with an alpha? What a mess…but…he was grateful for his newborn daughter, so good things do come out of it, besides the pleasure—

_Nope._

He was not going to remember that…

\----

Feeling refreshed from the prolonged shower, Yokozawa had the appetite to shovel down more than one serving of the takeout that Kirishima had brought home for them. It’d been a long time since he’d gotten exercise like that…the thought made him nostalgic as he remembered the days he spent under the sun, running freely as if nothing could touch him. It was a great feeling. He was going to sleep good tonight….

_…At least that’s what he’d thought._

“Will you stop kicking me?!” The raven snapped from beneath the sheets as he grew agitated by the second, each shuffling movement disturbing the silence of the room.

“S’ _hot_ …” The alpha whined and huffed as he began to thrash anew.

Yokozawa sighed and turned his back to him, hoping to somewhat block out the petulant brunette, but to no avail his limbs kept flailing about, a careless arm accidentally slapped him atop the head.

“OI”

“Sorry~ can we take the blankets off?”

“ _You_ , you’re a real pain in the ass you know that?”

“Mhm~”

Yokozawa hissed a short-tempered breath and swung his legs to plant his feet on the floor and whirl around in the dark to scrabble for purchase beneath the mattress. Kirishima raised his brow in the soft moonlight while he watched his lover’s frame fidget with the end of the mattress,

“What’re you…—!!”

The raven’s fingertips skimmed over the rim of the fitted sheet and after a breath of preparation he yanked the sheet out and up with all his might, taking the comforter with him. Yokozawa caught sight of an annoyed amber scowl that could guess what was coming,

**“Don’t you—”**

_“Oops.”_

Yokozawa smirked over the alpha and let the straining elastic strip slip from his grasp, a flutter of linens bounding towards the brunette with a sling-shot force, effectively wrapping him in a suffocating cocoon. The beta huffed and snatched a blanket up off the floor and made himself comfortable on the bare mattress. While it was just as annoying to hear the alpha’s muffled plea for help with detangling from the sweltering confinement, Yokozawa was finally able to fall into a blissful sleep, satisfied with finally getting some revenge for all of that ridiculous teasing.

\----

“Zen if you don’t get your ass up, I swear I’ll—”

“Not gonna give me a wake-up kiss?”

“ _Hell no!_ It’s your own damn fault if you sleep through the day, but your mother is watching the kids so that we can both go to work, now stop being selfish!” Yokozawa snapped to the bundle of blankets that refused to budge. It was _finally_ June, meaning he could return to his job, and a grumpy Kirishima was not a good start to his long-awaited day.

“I can be expected to be selfish when faced with such beauty so early in the morning~”

“…?” Yokozawa stopped his knotting the tie that rest against his collar, turning a raised brow in his mate’s direction after glancing around the room for this ‘beauty’ the alpha praised.

“You’re so thick Y’know that~~” Kirishima snickered as he finally rose from the sheets to saunter over and peck his lover sweetly.

“Huh!?”

“I’m talking about _you_ …” the brunette whispered after licking his lip seductively.

Yokozawa felt a flash of heat zip through his spine and his face turned bright red.

“Y-You…that’s—"

“Haha! It’s so easy to rile you up!”

“S-Shut up!”

“Father, Dad! Come get breakfast!” Hiyo called from the kitchen, she was still enjoying her summer vacation so she had the time in the mornings to meander about as she pleased, including spoiling her parents when they were running behind.

“Aww my sweet girl cooked me breakfast? I’m never letting you go!” Kirishima chuckled when he sauntered into the room to cuddle his adorable daughter.

“Haha! Father you’re smothering me!” The pajama-clad 12-year old giggled, muffled in her father’s shirt while he wrapped her in a possessive embrace.

“I packed it up for you guys, now get going!” Hiyo urged, passing each of them a thermos and a homemade bento, while pushing at their backs usher them out the door.

“Eager to get rid of me?”

“No, I just don’t want you to make dad late!” The 12-year old smirked, earning a snort from Yokozawa himself.

“Heh, see you tonight sweetie~” Kirishima pat her head affectionately and ran off to catch up with the impatient beta who was already boarding the elevator.

“Mhm!” The youngster waved them off and breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally out of sight. Hiyo turned around and clenched her fists with determination,

_Now it’s time to get to work!_

Yokozawa has been so kind to teach her how to play soccer that she had to return the favor! Her grandmother should be here any minute to help with planning the surprise.

“Mrow!”

“Hehe, are you hungry sora-chan? Maybe you can help me and grandma too.”

The feline tilted his dark head curiously, gleaming lemon hungrily followed the bag of cat-food that Hiyo grabbed from a nearby cabinet.

‘clink, clink’

The sound was music to Sorata’s ears as bits of kibble rained into the metallic bowl, tempting him closer to eat, forgetting all about the sudden disappearance of his owner. It’d been nice to spend more time with the grumpy salesman, but food was much more important…and he still had company today like the new squishy creature that snoozed in the other room; the one he liked to observe from his perch on the window sill.

\----

Yokozawa took a deep breath when the elevator reached his floor, Kirishima beside him snickering with amusement,

“Scared?” the alpha teased giving his back an encouraging push before the doors closed.

“Like hell!” The beta snapped, and he stormed out of the lift into the familiar room he never thought he’d miss for so long. Well that was an entrance…

“Yokozawa-san!?”

“..!!”

Everyone in sales dropped what they were doing to gape in the direction of the outburst. Yokozawa unconsciously fidgeted with the band on his finger in a nervous habit as his coworkers zoned in on him. They all look like they’ve seen a ghost!

“He’s back!”

“Yokozawa-san’s back!”

A small crowd began to cheer, encouraging other murmurs of excitement and disbelief, Henmi was the only one brave enough to step forward and welcome his boss face to face. The beta held back a squeak of surprise when the salesman stumbled forward to cling to him like a child to its mother.

“O-Oi Henmi…”

“Yokozawa-saann…” The short raven sobbed in pure relief, ugly tears rubbing into the other man’s suit when he began to nuzzle his abdomen and cling tighter, nearly cracking the wild-bear’s back.

“OI!” The beta froze up in discomfort, uncomfortably pushing at his hysterical subordinate. Everyone around him was gaping with awe when his briefcase soundly dropped to the floor with a clatter, leaving the room in pure silence, save for Henmi’s muffled, sniveling cries of gratitude. No one would dare hug the wild-bear, let alone cling to him…

’he’s going to be killed…’ –is what everyone thought, but to their surprise Yokozawa merely let it happen, standing stock still at the foot of his vacant desk, even patting at the shorter man’s back awkwardly. It had been a rough 7 months without him, that was for sure…Yokozawa was the one who everyone relied on, be it questions or advice. While sales had a department director, Yokozawa still held the title as ‘head of sales’ to keep everyone in check. It had come as a great shock when their director had come in to address them directly about Yokozawa’s sudden, agonizingly long absence but they worked through it…and even though the staff was ordered not to pry, they wanted answers…

“Where were you??” was Henmi’s wavering demand in place of everyone in the room that was too afraid to ask, they had a right to know, being abandoned by their reliable superior for so long, he was the one who did pretty much all the work...picking up on his daily tasks had been a nightmare for the entire department, they still weren’t used to it, even now, they never realized how much work the raven had on his plate.

“We thought you were dead!” Henmi cried aloud, earning nods of agreement from those around him,

“Huh!? Who said that!?”

“You fainted a while back, and Onodera from the editing department took you to the hospital, we thought it was because you were sick!”

“Don’t listen to strange rumors!” The raven scolded his subordinate who he’d managed to pry from his abdomen, the other now wiping at his puffy eyes furiously.

“Sorry…” The salesman muttered dejectedly, while this felt normal, being scolded by the provoked bear, something about Yokozawa had definitely changed. He was…softer, easier to approach…

“I was on personal business, but I’m perfectly healthy, so, what did I miss?” The raven smoothly dodged the question, there was no way he could tell his department what he’d been up to those past 7 months…

“Ah! Well to celebrate your return we threw a little party in the conference room!”

“You didn’t have to do all that…” The beta muttered as he followed the short raven to a nearby conference room.

“You like cake, right?” Henmi asked him before opening the door,

“It’s alright I suppose…”

“Good then!”

With that, the door flew open, people on the other side ready to greet them with confetti and streamers.

“Welcome back!” The small group cheered, clapping upon his return,

“I’m…back…” Yokozawa mumbled, sheepishly rubbing at his neck.

“What do you think??” The salesman to his right asked with uncontained excitement.

“Huh?”

“About the cake?”

Yokozawa stepped forward to peek into the box housing the rather large confection, the mere sight nearly giving him a heart-attack.

“W-What’s this…?!” The beta internally panicked when his grey eyes began to swim after reading the damning, decorative icing,

‘ ~CONGRATULATIONS!~ ’

“Erm…is something wrong?” Henmi titled his head curiously, Yokozawa was acting weird…

“Why…?” The beta muttered almost demandingly after a minute of silence, taking an unsteady step backwards.

“Don’t you remember? You led us through the last quarter with excellent numbers before you left! We never got to thank you sir!”

“Ah, I see…” Yokozawa sighed with relief and stepped forward to cut himself a corner piece off of the rectangular dessert, lifting a plastic fork up to his lips to consume the vanilla flavored fluff. Hiyo had made him an acceptable breakfast, but her teeny hands could only make a snack like portion, leaving him with a light appetite. The beta coughed when he bit down on something rock-solid, a different texture amongst the fluffy sponge.

“Ah, did you find the baby?”

Yokozawa suddenly inhaled sharply, coughing on the cake that flew down his throat dryly, and snatched up a nearby napkin to spit out whatever was left. The raven crushed the napkin in his fist as he continued to gag on the unpleasant feeling, and gratefully took the cup of water Henmi offered him with an unstable grip

“W-WHAT BABY!?” The beta rasped incredulously; did they know something after all? Did Kisa not keep his promise to clear up the rumors??

“Uhhm, Y’know…for good luck…??” Henmi cleared the air almost frantically, what was going on with him?

“Oh…” Yokozawa sighed, and hesitantly opened the napkin to peek among the muddled mess of cake and frosting, revealing a miniature, plastic figurine resembling an infant, he was way too damn jumpy…

“uh, found it…”

“Oh great! Now you get good luck for a whole year!” Henmi cheered brightly, but suddenly his face fell and lit up with a new agitation,

“HUH? WHEN DID YOU GET MARRIED?!”

“What are you talking about??” Yokozawa barked in sudden embarrassment, since when was Henmi brave enough to accuse him of anything? There was no way he was supposed to know about that!

“The ring!”

Steel grey snapped back down to the silver band that decorated his ring finger, he’d _completely_ forgotten about that…so _that’s_ why Kirishima was grinning like an idiot on their way to office. He knew he’d let his guard down, and didn’t even tell him!

“I-It was a gift from Kirishima’s daughter!”

“Why is it on your left hand then? And why does it look so serious? Ah! is it Kirishima-san?? He started wearing a ring too…”

“Stop asking me ridiculous questions and get back to work!” Yokozawa ordered and turned away to escape the room for some fresh air.

_This was_ not _, how he guessed his first day back would turn out…_

\----

“Welcome home dad!” Hiyo cheered happily, skipping up to take his briefcase.

“Ah, it’s fine I got it—”

“No! I insist!” The youngster asserted, pulling the case from the raven’s grasp, her grandmother shuffling up around the corner.

“Ah, hello dear.”

“Hello Kirishima-san”

  
“No need, call me Himari.”

“O-Ok Himari-san.”

The older woman chuckled and gestured for him to follow her to the dining table where a shiny-blue bag sat with an inviting thank-you card.

“What’s this?”

“Hiyo told me how hard you’ve been working to help her, we wanted to say thank you.” The mother supplied warmly, signaling for him to open the card.

“T-Thank you guys…” Yokozawa smiled lightly, giving Hiyo a half hug while he pulled tissue paper out of the way to reveal a shoebox that contained a new pair of soccer-cleats.

“We figured you could use some new ones! Grandma got me some too, mine are pink!” The youngster at his side cheered, hopping on her dainty feet.

“You guys, that’s really nice…” The beta was at a loss, being the center of attention for the second time that day, catching him off guard.

“It was no problem! I just wanted to say thanks!”

“You’re welcome, what do you say we start dinner?”

“really?”

“Yup, we can make anything you want.”

“Ok then!” the youngster skipped off to put her apron on and wash her hands, meanwhile Yokozawa held conversation with his in-law.

“How were they today?”

“No trouble at all! Hiyo was energetic as ever…Kuma really loves to sleep, doesn’t she?”

“Mhm…” ‘just like Zen’ he mused to himself.

“Well I’ll get going now, got some stuff to do with the neighborhood association.” The woman noted, ready to take her leave for the day.

“Have a safe trip!” Hiyo exclaimed from the kitchen over her rifling through pots and pans that made heavy clanging noise.

“Thanks dear~” Himari called back, blowing her granddaughter a kiss.

“Thank you for today, Himari-san” Yokozawa bowed politely, it was so nice of her to look after the infant while they both kept their jobs afloat, she really helped them out.

“Don’t mention it, I love seeing my grandchildren~” The elder replied, hobbling out the door with a wave of farewell.

Yokozawa smiled and straightened his back, strolling into the kitchen to help Hiyo with her dinner preparations.

\----

‘shhh’

  
The running water lulled Yokozawa into a daze as he recalled his day, it’d been fairly normal, save for his first hour back. But what bothered him was Kirishima hadn’t bothered to pay him a visit. Not that he looked forward to it, but it had been a part of his routine before he’d left, and not having seen his face pop in once, left him feeling unbearably empty.

The raven sighed over the sponge squeaking against the porcelain he’d been ‘scrubbing’ for the past 5 minutes. Everything felt different now…

_‘Ding’_

“Coming!” The beta shouted after wiping his soapy hands on a nearby towel, had Kirishima finally decided to come home?

Yokozawa looked through the eye-piece, expecting a drunk Kirishima pleading entrance, ( he liked to ring the intercom as a joke whenever he came home after going out with his coworkers.) only to see an unexpected guest on the other side.

_What the hell is he doing here…?!_

The beta did a double take through the peephole to confirm the delivery person that held a clipboard, balancing a long-white box against his hip. No doubt about it…it was the same alpha that had harassed him that day. Well he’d made a thorough mistake showing his face around here a second time. Now he could definitely kick his ass. Yokozawa narrowed his eyes and swiftly yanked the door open steeling himself for a fight,

**“What is it.”**

“Package for Kirishima-san.” The alpha muttered and thrust the clipboard his way expectantly, not daring to make eye contact.

_Package? Kirishima hadn’t mentioned a package…?_

“I’m not looking for a fight ok? I’m just doing my job…”

Yokozawa skeptically raked his eyes over the cowering figure and huffed, taking the clipboard and pen attachment into his hands. Right, he had to act like the adult here. The raven printed his signature with the complimentary pen he was offered and handed the flimsy board back to the delivery man.

“I’d like to apologize—”

“Save it.” The beta snapped and swiped the package from the familiar stranger’s arms, slamming the door in his face. Yokozawa swore for a second, he could see wavy almond curls peeking around the corner of the hallway just before the door came to a swift close, but that could’ve just been his imagination wishing Kirishima was home already.

The raven curiously flipped the box over to read the sticker’s address, which had come from a nearby post office in Tokyo, not giving him any hints to its origin. Oh well…

Yokozawa shrugged and tossed the surprisingly light package onto the table, it wasn’t his business to pry. He sighed and flopped down in the chair next to his newborn daughter’s crib, gazing at her delicate features.

“Where is he?” The beta sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, distracting himself with the infant’s company.

\----

Kirishima was just rounding the corner, the bouquet of flowers rustling in his hands rather noisily, reminding him of his a nearby conversation catching his attention.

****

**_“What is it.”_ **

The alpha shuddered as a chill went up his spine and stopped dead in his tracks. That was definitely Yokozawa’s voice, but his tone and bond-mark sent a ripple of fear striking through his veins, it was emotionless, and cold. He was normally so polite, what warranted such an icy greeting?

_“Package for Kirishima.”_

_“…”_

Kirishima peeked further around the corner out of curiosity after the long pause of silence from his lover only to hear the deliveryman speak again.

_“I’m not looking for a fight ok? I’m just doing my job…”_

Why were they talking like they knew each other? This guy didn’t look familiar at all… _wait_ …

“…”

There was a puff of breath and the scratching of a board while Kirishima impatiently waited for the conversation to continue, could it be the same guy Yuki’s father warned him about…?

“I’d like to apologize—”

The alpha’s blood boiled with rage, it had to be him. The nerve this guy had to approach his mate again after harassing him so persistently. The brunette willed the black tinting at his vision to fade away, _no_ , he would stay calm.

“Save it.”

And with that the door slammed shut, he’d barely ducked out of the way before those steely grey eyes met molten amber, and Kirishima sighed with relief.

_Good. Let me handle this._

Kirishima clenched the wrapped flowers tightly and loosened his grip, there would be no bruises to show from this…just a little harmless chat with the guy…

The brunette willed strength into his legs and each menacing step he took echoed in off the linoleum as he closed in on the unknowing alpha. The guy finally turned around when the steps came to a halt just inches away from him and nearly squeaked in fear upon whirling around to face the looming figure that smiled dangerously.

_“Hello, I’d like to introduce myself.”_

Kirishima leered when the alpha took a shaky step back, and his slitted pupils focused on his throat as he gulped audibly.

“I’m Kirishima Zen, do you happen to know the gentleman that lives there?” The brunette asked, pointing in the direction of his own apartment with a knowing smirk.

“N-No sir—”

“Didn’t your mother teach you to be honest?” Kirishima interjected when the alpha flailed for a response that wouldn’t guarantee mortal danger.

“…”

“I’ll take that as a no. Well that man just so happens to be my mate, and the last time you met, I heard you caused quite the scene.”

“!!”

“I don’t appreciate how you spoke to him.”

Kirishima ducked in close and tucked the assortment of flowers behind his back, his face darkened behind his honey-almond waves,

**“You’re lucky I wasn’t there.”**

Glowing amber peeked through the tangle of his brunette mop, zoning in on the man in front of him like prey when a low-rumbling growl ripped from his throat,

“I’m going to mercifully let you off with a warning, so listen closely,”

Kirishima took a step forward, the stranger taking yet another step back,

“If you ever come near my family, or show your face here again,”

The brunette leaned in close to hiss in the trembling alpha’s ear,

****

**_“I’ll make it my personal mission to end you.”_ **

Kirishima straightened his back with one swift movement, making the coward flinch in fear, and his smiling mask fell back into place, not a crack in sight when he flashed his teeth handsomely,

“Got it~?”

“…Y-Yes sir…”

****

**_“Good. Now go.”_** Kirishima tilted his head in the direction of the stairs as an order, smirking when the delivery-man sprinted out of his sight.

He counted to ten in his head, cooling himself down with short puffing breaths while he rolled his shoulders in front of his entryway

_Safe. His family was safe._

The brunette sighed and inspected the flowers in his grip, pleased to see he’d been able to keep his temper under control and not completely mutilate the delicate blooms. The alpha took a deep breath and reached for the knob, hiding the bouquet behind his back.

“Honey I’m home~”

“What took you so long!” The raven was immediately on his feet, rushing to reprimand his mate’s tardiness who came in practically singing.

“Huh? Oh, I had to pick something up…”

“Like what?” Yokozawa’s vision darted around the apartment for a new addition, but came up empty. The beta gasped when something colorful swung his way and he put up his arms in defense, reluctantly lowering them when Kirishima shook the room with laughter,

“Haha! You should see your face~”

“Shut up—!!” Steel grey focused on the colorful array of flowers before him, the refreshing, sweet scent tickling his nose. The raven blinked, dumbfounded and reached forward to take the flowers now prodding at his chest at Kirishima’s urging.

“Why?” a slender, dark brow dipped with suspicion as he inspected the bouquet for some sort of trick,

“Can’t I just buy my husband some flowers?”

Yokozawa’s frown deepened with further skepticism and Kirishima sighed in defeat.

“I wanted to surprise you…I heard you had a rough day from Hiyo…”

“Just whose fault was that!”

“Huh??”

“You didn’t bother to see me once! I was waiting—” The raven clapped a hand over his mouth abruptly, trying in vain to keep from falling in his lover’s trap. He was already too late, as Kirishima had already recovered from his momentary shock and it was his turn to press,

“You missed me?”

“I didn’t—W-Why would I—" Yokozawa tried to lie, but his flustered attempt was no use.

“Is that such a bad thing…?”

“Not at all~” The alpha sang and ducked forward to coax his lover into a tender kiss, pulling away to grin brightly. Yokozawa avert his gaze and a faint blush creeped onto his features, his wandering eyes catching sight of the white box practically in a spotlight on the table. Forgetting the embarrassing moment, the beta turned a new question on the alpha who went to find a vase for the flowers.

“By the way, what’s with that package?”

“What?” Kirishima called from the bathroom as he ducked to search for a proper container.

“The address says it’s from Tokyo, but you never mentioned expecting a package.” Yokozawa pried curiously and nearly jumped when the alpha suddenly poked his head out of the bathroom, his almond eyes lighting up with pure excitement.

“Ah! So that’s what it was!”

“I’m not following…” The raven titled his head in confusion when Kirishima set the now occupied flower-vase on the counter and sauntered over to the table with a box-cutter. The tape ripped beneath the sharp blade and the brunette merrily lifted the lid gently to reveal something far-too familiar for Yokozawa’s liking.

“H-How did you…?”

The jersey Kirishima lifted from the package belonged to none other than his old soccer uniform…

The alpha turned his head to leer in the raven’s direction, sending a shiver down his spine.

“!!”

“Put it on for me~”

“HELL NO.”

“Don’t be so stingy, you put the gown on just fine what’s the—”

“ _Shut up_! Just shut up! I can’t believe you bothered my parents for that!!” The beta seethed as his complexion mirrored that of a tomato as he slapped a hand over his lover’s mouth, jerking back in disgust when his tongue daringly slipped out to lick his palm.

“ _Gross_ — _Hnn_!”

Kirishima wasn’t taking no for an answer and groped his ass through his slacks that he still hadn’t changed out of, yanking the protesting raven into a passionate lip-lock.

“It’s been a while~ If you can’t be quiet enough, I’m sure we can remedy that~” The brunette leered suggestively, his amber iris narrowed in a smirk.

“Go to hell!” Yokozawa turned on his heel and stomped off to their bedroom, hoping to escape his alpha’s lusty gaze that practically burned his skin. Kirishima was hot on his heels and narrowly made it through the door before it was slammed shut. The alpha took his chance and eagerly yanked his lover’s hips forward, effectively trapping him.

“There’s nowhere to run this time, _Takafumi_ ~” Kirishima whispered hotly, the warm puff of breath against his sensitive ear going straight to his hips.

It seemed Yokozawa was going to face a sleepless night, whether he wanted to or not…

At least he felt like his routine was back…work, dinner with Hiyo, and sometimes if not lazy, an insatiable Kirishima for company after hours. But it felt normal, he just had a new addition to their family to adjust to, and he felt like he was doing that just fine.

_That’s right, everything will go back to normal soon, he just has to adjust…_

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, for those of you that may be confused about the plastic baby in the cake, its a tradition that some people add in their parties, the host hides a little plastic baby in normally a dessert and then whoever finds it supposedly gets good luck for a whole year. While it can be fun, I don't recommend hiding the figurine too well, as it may be a choking hazard just in case anybody want's to try it lol. I'll see you guys soon, let me know what you think!  
> <3 Peachy


	30. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I have returned with your final chapter! I'm soooo sorry it took me forever, I just really didn't want to mess this up. To all of you that have read my little story I truly appreciate you for your support. Everyone's comment's, kudos, and views kept me going. I never thought that so many people could enjoy my little fantasy as much as I do. So really, from the bottom of my heart thank you, and I love you all for sticking around! Hopefully I'll see you in one of my new stories i'm planning to write, see the ending notes for more details, and now...
> 
> Onto the grand finale!! Might I recommend listening to Roslyn, by bon iver & st. vincent, during the dance scene ;), and yes, while I may get hated on for this, the song is from twilight BUT I used it for some inspiration when writing this so it might just help out with the emotion I tried to express.
> 
> Oh! and just a P.S. I did have some fun with making little mood boards to give you somewhat of an idea of what image I was trying to create! Hope you enjoy them on my tumblr that I just made! its: peachywritesblog  
> I will also do my best to use this as a source of communication from now on!
> 
> <3 Peachy

~5 Years later; Epilogue~

Yokozawa Takafumi’s bare-feet thumped rhythmically against the chilled tile floor as he paced the small space of the bathroom. Raven locks swished as he carded his fingers over his scalp to calm his buzzing nerves, letting out a long exhale.

“It’s probably nothing…calm down…Just something you ate…” The beta whispered to himself like a mantra, flinching when a thudding knock rapped against the door from his bedroom.

“Takafumi you’re hogging the bathroom; it’s been ten minutes and I still have to get ready!” Kirishima all but whined from the other side of the door.

Today was Hiyo’s high school graduation ceremony and Yokozawa had waken up early enough to help Hiyo get ready and shuttle her off to join Yuki-chan at the venue a few hours before the life-changing event itself. This of course included accompanying her to the nail salon, prior to her scheduled arrival, where he’d somehow been looped into joining the youngster with the process, just excluding the gaudy polish. The entire way back he couldn’t help but feel restless, as his nails just felt… _strange_ each time his hands slid over the steering wheel only adding to his inner turmoil of uneasiness.

How could everything seem so wrong on such a perfect day? Yokozawa gulped in front of the bathroom mirror and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach when it occurred to him just what might just be going on below it…He felt exhausted already, his only reason for rising so early was because of a persistent queasiness twirling in his gut that pulled him out of his slumber all too uncomfortably. Luckily, he’d made to the toilet in time to expel the bile that rose in his throat, a long forgotten, yet familiar feeling…

What urged him to stop by a convenience store on the way back to rouse his family members, was the fact that his heat had been last month, and he couldn’t tell up from down after Kirishima got back from dropping the kids off at his mother’s house, and stepped through the door to practically tear at his clothes. The memory of the sweltering fever that swept over his body, left the fact to consider that they hadn’t been so careful each time…

Yokozawa shook his head and glanced down at the plastic stick of answers that practically waited in a spotlight on the bathroom counter. The raven felt a lump swell in his throat when his eyes caught sight of two red bars against the white background.

“…”

Unsteady fingers fumbled when picking up the plastic stick to shake it, hoping it was wrong but without much thought… _it made sense_ …

_“Positive…”_ The beta muttered under his breath with mixed feelings as his vision began to swim.

_“Ok that’s it! I’m coming in whether you like it or not!”_ Kirishima bellowed from behind the solid doorframe that separated the conjoined rooms.

Yokozawa’s heart jumped and he whirled around to hide the test in the elastic of his boxers just in time for the door to give way, revealing two pairs instead of the expected _one_.

“Dada! Pee!” Kuma shouted, making grabby hands with one palm while she used the other to cling to her favorite lion plushie.

“Huh?”

“She has to go potty~” Kirishima snickered while he ran some gel through his hair as Kuma dashed around his legs to demand assistance from her ‘mama’. Molten amber glinted in the reflection of the mirror as the alpha recalled his little bear’s first words

~~~

**“Father! Dad! Come quick!!”**

**Hiyo’s voice floated through the slightly ajar door while Kirishima and Yokozawa casually lounged about fairly late in the evening. The beta trying to focus on his laptop while the brunette at his side pestered for his attention over the sales stat’s glowing on the bright screen. The pair instantly flinched at the tone of urgency that demanded their attention.**

**Sounded like it was coming from the baby’s room…was something wrong? The couple, upon her request, shuffled into the room at her urging and felt their breath catch in their throat when they heard incoherent babbles bubbling from the infant’s lips.**

**“She’s gonna speak!” Hiyo gasped in awe as she waited on the edge of her seat for the 6-month old to continue,**

**“mm—”**

**Everyone crowded closer to the infants murmuring and all gasped when they heard the first syllable,**

**“Ma—”**

**The youngster’s brow tightened with concentration as she tried her hand at speaking a single, simple word,**

**“Mmm—Ma…”**

**Kirishima smirked from beside his lover and cast a smug, side-long glance his way. He could already predict what the infant was going to blurt before it even passed her teeny lips. Yokozawa ignored the burning almond that put him on the spot and focused on straining his ears to hear the fussing infants first word.**

**“Mama!” The baby squealed, like bubbling to the surface from underwater, her speech cleared as she reached two chubby hands to grasp in the direction of the shocked raven.**

**“BWAHAHA!” Kirishima howled, clutching his stomach as he expressed his evident amusement.**

**It took Yokozawa nearly 3 weeks to correct the youngster with the alternative endearment, ‘dada’. Sure, his pride was bruised, but he was nevertheless proud of the teeny one who babbled her favorite word over and over with excitement.**

**~~~**

“Alright, alright, up we go!” Yokozawa replied, hoisting the impatient toddler up to carry her over to the little training seat, completely forgetting about the concealed plastic stick poking into his thigh.

\----

“Stop messing with it!” Yokozawa hissed when Kirishima reached his hand up to scratch uncomfortably at his styled hair.

“S’not like I can help it!”

“Papa, tummy!” Expectant amber gazed up at a similar pair as the 5-year old pat her stomach for emphasis,

“You want a snack?” Kirishima asked the toddler quizzically, to which he got an enthusiastic nod.

“Hey did you remember to pack the bag?” The alpha turned to his lover hopefully, a tantrum right now didn’t seem ideal, since it was the middle of a student’s speech. A sudden outburst from the audience would surely annoy surrounding parents…

Yokozawa instinctively leaned down the pat the floor beneath his seat, coming up empty. What made things worse was the fact that he remembered its location clearly which wasn’t the car, but the kitchen counter at home!

_Dammit_. He was too distracted to notice.

“…”

“Forgot it huh…?”

The raven replied with a reluctant nod of his head to admit his careless mistake, not looking to already know about the watery eyes turned his way as the hungry toddler got antsy.

“M’sorry sweetie, maybe we can find something when this speech is over?” Kirishima turned to the sniffling youngster, who only scrunched her face with what could only be described as anger.

“Excuse me, are pretzels alright?” A soft voice came up from behind them.

“Huh?” Kirishima turned his head to be faced with a petite, aged woman, who’d seemed to catch sight of the slight mishap.

“Ah, yes her teeth are full grown, are you sure?” The alpha asked politely, he didn’t want to rob this lady of her afternoon snack, it was a long ceremony and he was already feeling peckish himself, anticipating the dinner reservations they’d scheduled for later in the evening.

“They don’t have any concessions up right now, and I couldn’t help but notice the situation, I should know, being a mother and all.” The woman chuckled and inched the bag closer to the thankful brunette who accepted it with much gratitude.

“Now don’t eat them too fast, pace yourself.” Kirishima urged when he gave to toddler a handful of the salty snack. She had a habit of practically inhaling her food when she was hungry, so the alpha had to remind her to use some caution. Yokozawa sighed with relief and turned his gaze back to the student standing at the podium who droned on about their future as the crowd got emotional.

Crisis averted…

\----

“I’m _so_ _proud_ of you...I’m sure you’re mama is smiling down at you right now—” Kirishima cut himself of as his voice broke with emotion, seems he was getting choked up for the sixth time that night since she’d stepped off of the podium in her royal blue cap and gown to receive her official, high-school diploma.

“Father, don’t cry _again_ …”

“I didn’t cry!” The alpha sniped from the driver’s seat as he steered the vehicle to Hiyo’s favorite restaurant, reaching a hand up to suspiciously wipe at his cheek with his suit-sleeve. Yokozawa snickered at his side and looked into the back seat to see if the oddly quiet toddler had drifted off, only for his suspicions to be confirmed. Kids, seems until they’re age 10, are almost guaranteed to doze off after being in the car for more than 5 minutes. Maybe the constant motion outside made them sleepy…?

“Are grandpa and grandma there yet?” Hiyo asked nervously, they were a bit behind schedule because it took forever to shove Kirishima into the car and stop clinging to his newly-graduated daughter.

“M’not sure, I guess my parents are planning on being there too.” Yokozawa replied while he reflected on the past 8 years he’d been with the Kirishima’s, gazing out the window, serenely watching the streetlights fly past. The raven felt his face heat up shortly after he took a moment to consider that he was technically a _Kirishima_ too…

“Eh?? Really!?” the brunette in the back instantly perked up at the mention of Yokozawa’s parents. Much like her maternal grandparents she was able to see them often because of their busy schedules, but the couple made an exception for such a special occasion.

“Mhm…” The beta confirmed, not really listening to what she’d said.

_8 years…_

That’s how long he’d been with Kirishima, and while there’d been countless memories to show, it seems like time had gone by in a blink. Wow, time can be a real pain in the ass sometimes…

The raven flinched when something brushed against his cheek, smearing the moisture that rolled down his face in an attempt to wipe it away.

  
When had the car stopped?

The beta blinked away the tears that muddled his vision to see the scenery of the ocean and the tastefully lit restaurant before it from the parking lot.

How did they get here already? Time was going by too fast…

Yokozawa glanced over to his lover’s concerned gaze. In the soft lighting he could make out the slightly more-visible wrinkles just below his eyes and the grey hairs that peeked through his almond waves. Murky steel uncomfortably looked away, catching his own reflection that looked back at him. He too had gray beginning to show in his ebony locks and some faint wrinkles here and there from the stress of being a working adult and…parenthood…

The beta flinched and fumbled with the handle at his side to get out of the car. He felt sick.

He’d run to the nearest trashcan and heaved for breath for a short while after getting a false signal. Kirishima jogged up behind him and gently turned his shoulders to face him, while the raven had been off guard.

“Is something wrong? Are you okay to eat tonight?” The brunette asked worriedly, burning amber raking over his frame for any body language that said otherwise. Yokozawa looked to the side to catch sight of Hiyo holding her teeny sister’s hand, second sets of those warm iris that matched Kirishima’s too perfectly looking at him with the same expression.

“I’m—” _pregnant._ He’d bit his tongue in just the lick of time to correct his mistake. That wasn’t something he could just blurt out in the open, in front of Hiyo and Kuma no less, but one look into those interrogating almond eyes, he instantly became weak to his alpha. Honesty between them was very important, especially if anything was wrong, the other party would like to know. After all, they’ve gotten into quite a few mishaps with misunderstandings and stubborn pride, so they’d learned to instantly tell the other what was on their mind, and bond marks only go so far when you really want to hide something. But _this_ …wasn’t that simple…

“I’m—fine…” The raven breathed and pushed his husbands’ heavy arm off of his shoulders, only for both arms to come back to grip with a vengeance.

“You sure? Hey, look at me.”

_‘When you look at me like that, I can’t keep anything from you!’_

Yokozawa stifled the heat rising in his cheeks that would surely give him away and steeled himself, brushing away the alpha’s grasp that held onto him so strongly,

“I said I’m fine, quit badgering me!” The beta snapped, harsher than he’d meant to, and stalked up the short set of steps of the entrance to claim their reserved table where his and Kirishima’s parents were patiently waiting.

Kirishima looked back at his daughter’s, concern written on their faces, even Kuma, who was too young to understand her dad’s temper. He’d controlled it over the years, especially around his children, yet the wild-bear showed that side of himself tonight…something had to be wrong…

The alpha cooled his composure and painted on a cocky grin, gesturing with his head to hurry it up. Hoping that brushing off the strange atmosphere would wash away some of that shock, and apprehension.

“Grandma, grandpa! You guys made it!” Hiyo exclaimed a bit loudly for such an exquisite restaurant. The graduate ignored the murmurs of displeasure from surrounding couples and proceeded to hug each of her 4 grandparents gathered around the table. Yokozawa looked around at the extravagant décor and architecture, he could already tell his mother was doing the same.

“This place is so beautiful! And Hiyo I love your dress!” Narumi chattered, yanking at her husbands arm to look at their granddaughter who was donned in a stunning, gold vintage-style dress.

“Ah thank you! You guys look sharp yourselves!” Hiyo bubbled after a dainty twirl.

Yokozawa tuned out his family members and allowed the chatter of the restaurant and soft, elegant music to flood his ear’s instead, not even noticing their evening waitress coming up to greet them.

“Welcome to—……sea—How may we serve you this fine evening?” The waitress babbled to Yokozawa who only picked up bits of the name as he continued to zone out, his gaze focused on the empty stemware in from of him.

“Err, Is everything alright?” The woman asked nervously when she didn’t get response.

Kirishima kicked his shin from beneath the cloth, and Yokozawa snapped out of his stupor.

“Huh?”

Everyone around him chuckled with amusement, the sight making his head swim.

“What can we get started to drink?” The waitress asked with a polite smile, holding the pen elegantly to take their orders.

“What do you recommend in terms of wine?” Kirishima asked, it’d been a long time since he’d been here.

“Ah, we have some different selections imported from France and Australia; would you like to see a menu?”

“Yes please.”

The waitress fished through the short apron around her waist, pulled a small booklet from a deep pocket at her hip, and handed it over to Kirishima. While the aging brunette tried to hide his struggle reading the fine-print, Yokozawa didn’t badger him when those amber eyes squinted in concentration. He’d reminded the alpha to bring his glasses, but he purposefully forgot them because it ‘ruined his handsome looks’. The table took their turns ordering their drinks one after the other, while their server finally got back to Kirishima who offered his answer and handed Yokozawa the wine-list.

“Er, I’ll just have some water…” The raven mumbled, and politely passed the small menu back to the waitress. Her footsteps pattered out of ear-shot after a polite bow and Kirishima leaned in-to whisper in Yokozawa’s ear,

“Not gonna drink?”

“Just doesn’t sound good right now…”

“…”

The blank look he got left him feeling nervous as the alpha was sure to pester him,

“What?”

“You’re just—not acting like yourself, are you sure you’re ok?”

‘VVVRT’ The sound of the chair sliding against the linoleum rendered the room silent as the crowd around them turned their heads, Kirishima jerking his head back so as to not collide with the other.

Yokozawa stood from his seat abruptly and stalked off in the direction of the bathroom, tossing the cloth napkin on the table while spinning on his heel. All the while, those prying eyes watching the beta’s every step.

“I’m gonna go check on him.” Kirishima sighed, and kicked his legs out to push his chair backwards gingerly placing his own napkin on the table to casually stride after his lover, catching murmurs of excitement and annoyance.

\----

Water flowed seamlessly out of the tap and Yokozawa stared at his dripping face in the reflection of clear glass that was the mirror. Running water drowned out the light classical music that carried from the speakers and he took short, haggard breaths.

_‘It’s Hiyo’s night and you’re ruining it with your temper, get ahold of yourself!’_

Yokozawa glared at his own reflection and growled, splashing more of the cool water flowing out of the spout onto his flushed skin.

_“Takafumi”_ Kirishima’s dress shoes squeaked to a stop on the smooth glittering tile as he closed in on the sulking bear, the obnoxious sound of his heels echoing off of the surrounding walls.

The beta flinched violently and reluctantly turned steel grey to meet his lover’s eyes which narrowed with skepticism.

“You better tell me what’s going on or I swear, I’m taking you home and bending you over the—”

“Stop—stop!!” Yokozawa rushed forward to slap his hands over his lover’s mouth to muffle his lewd threat, just in case anyone decided to walk in. They were in public after all…

“Then what’s going on?” The alpha demanded after pushing away the raven’s hands without much effort. His arms fell limply to his sides and his head drooped,

_‘There’s just no way I can tell you right now…’_

It’s not like he didn’t want another child, he’d discussed a big family with the guy before, but…that was before _that_ happened…

They hadn’t talked about another little one ever since his hospital visit when he birthed his teeny daughter with threatening post-complications. Watching her grow everyday filled him with nothing but pride, and watching Hiyo grow up, becoming an independent, young-woman made him miss taking care of his family. Kirishima handled his own, Hiyo spent a lot of time out of the house, and Kuma was in her independent phase, as she tried to mimic her older sister. Yokozawa felt a bit out of place and another pair of teeny feet running in circles around their flat seemed ideal as he liked to take care of others. Yet, he still had to consider his own health...He’d never seen Kirishima so shaken up before, after he’d regained conscious in the fluorescently lit ICU. While he knew, he himself was strong, he didn’t want to risk Kirishima going through the same thing again with him after his late wife…

Yokozawa took a deep breath and lifted his head, offering his alpha a slight smile, he was just going to have to put on a mask for now until he got his thoughts in order,

“I’m just a bit tired, I worked late last night and I’m hungry. Don’t worry about me.” The raven replied with an empty tone as he plastered on an easy expression.

“You’re not fooling me Y’know, I can still feel—”

Yokozawa grasped the hand that reached for his own neck to ghost over their bond mark, surely to ignite a fire in his body on the other side, and held it just inches above his skin.

“Just let me think.” The beta demanded coolly, glancing away from those scorching amber eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul.

Kirishima looked like he was about to argue but a chuckling group strolled in, loud slurring voices bouncing off the walls unevenly, forcing their intimate moment to come to an end.

“Fine.” The alpha yanked his hand away from his husband as if he’d been burned and stalked off ahead of him. If he was mad, he wasn’t going to tell him, Yokozawa could already feel it…

****

**_“Huh, the atmosphere is really weird in here?”_** A random stranger commented as he sniffed the air heavy with angst. His friends around him continued to make light conversation through their drunken voices as they had been enjoying expensive wine in their business meeting leaving them with loose lips, the chatter only ceasing when a cold presence brushed past them.

“Excuse me.” Yokozawa stepped past the trio and joined his family waiting for him at the table.

\----

“Ah! Food’s here!” Hiyo exclaimed and clapped her hands excitedly while the waitress carefully presented each requested entrée that steamed with a fresh glow. Yokozawa stifled a snort, no matter how much she aged she was always so optimistic, he truly envied her carefree attitude, _‘just like Zen…’_

  
Maybe that was the secret to seem so young, their energy giving them an air of youth, confidence, and never-ending enthusiasm.

Hiyo took a bite of her plate and a pleased purr rumbled through her throat, Kuma at her side nearly going boneless.

“Whoops!” The young woman yelped and gripped at her throat in sheepish amusement, it was hard to control her silly reflex, but at least it had a good effect of calming her sister down. It was no secret that Hiyo had presented as an omega, and while her parents worried, they took extra precautions to make sure she lived a comfortable life among regular society. Though one thing she’d never learned to control was the soothing rumble that ripped from her throat when she was genuinely happy.

They’d raised her well…

“Huh? Dad what’re you staring at?” The 18-year old looked up from her plate that she was already planning to try and re-create at home after feeling a certain steel set of eyes on her.

“Oh nothing, our little girl’s just so grown up.” Kirishima chimed in, bumping Yokozawa’s shoulder as he wiggled his way into her line of sight.

Hiyo blushed bright red and attempted to scowl, something she’d picked up from a particular raven guardian to fend off her father’s teasing over the years.

“You guys are so embarrassing sometimes!” The graduate huffed and turned back to her steaming plate that practically screamed expensive. It took a lot of convincing to persuade her to treat herself, since they wanted to spoil her for her hard work.

Kirishima chuckled and sipped on his bubbling glass of champagne, sure he’d requested a wine-list, but Yokozawa knew he was never a fan of wine in the first place. The guy just decided to go with his gut and order champagne, instead of his elders who sipped on merlot.

_~ “All right! For all you couple’s out there this one’s for you, come up here in the spotlight and sway to the music in your lover’s arms!” ~_

Kirishima turned to his daughter and grinned playfully,

“Care for a dance milady~?”

Hiyo rolled her eyes and set her chopsticks down gently to dab at her lips with a napkin.

“They said couples!” The brunette corrected with a dipped brow.

“But you’re my little girl!” Kirishima whined, missing the father daughter dances they used to attend each year in her younger days.

“Go dance with _dad_!” Hiyo ordered and turned back to her little sister to entertain her with a bite from her plate.

“Good idea! What do you say love?” The alpha was now all-ears as he tugged on his husband’s sleeve eagerly.

“…”

“I taught you how to dance when you were just a cute little boy, now go show your moves!” Yokozawa’s mother, Narumi, cooed after her fourth glass of wine.

“…” Yokozawa’s face was now bright red as he stared down at his lap, this was so humiliating, in front of Kirishima’s parents too!

“Don’t be shy dear~” Kirishima’s mother, Himari, encouraged across from him, she too, feeling brave enough to provoke the wild bear after her consumption of alcohol.

“…”

“Oh dear, did he break? I think we teased him too much~” Narumi mused with an expression of wonder in the direction of her fuming son as she continued to swirl the red liquid in her glass. Their husbands trying to hide their shaking shoulders, only served to further provoke the angered bear that they’d brought out of hibernation.

Everyone jumped in surprise when the beta stood from his seat and nearly yanked Kirishima’s arm out of its socket to drag him onto the crowded dancefloor out on the expansive deck where couples swayed to the romantic lullaby, beneath the garden themed pergola. Seeing the large waltzing mass suddenly demolished his small shred of confidence and Kirishima was quick to convince him otherwise.

“If we’re in the middle, nobody will see.” The alpha murmured over the soothing melody and gently pulled him through the swaying crowd to deposit themselves in the center. Sure, Yokozawa had gotten used to presenting a male partner in public, if their matching rings and pair of children didn’t give it away yet…but he still worried about the remaining jealous, and disgusted looks of those that only dared to burn holes to his turned back. A cool, misty breeze wafted the ocean and cooled his head as he breathed in the soothing aroma while the fairy lights twinkled around them elegantly.

Yokozawa nervously glanced around, noticing that each couple’s focus was solely on their partners, giving him another ribbon of confidence when Kirishima’s hands slid up to rest at his hips and intimately pull him forward. The view of the city on the dark ocean calmed his nerves and put him in the right mood as he watched the distant lights ripple against the lazy waves that reflected bright starlight. The raven lifted his hands to rest against his lover’s broad shoulders, and caught sight of the metal band glinting under the elegant chandelier overhead. The twinkle of light soothing his anxiety almost instantaneously as he allowed the mellow tune to sync with his hips and move with his husband rhythmically. It was his first time attending a dance outside of his high school years, dancing was never his thing, let alone accompanying a man to said event. Kirishima’s hands slid lower when the beat hit a deep note and the chorus picked up, Yokozawa burying his face in the alpha’s neck to hide his embarrassment. The beta flinched when Kirishima displaced the hand from his hip to tilt his chin upwards, his gleaming amber eyes encouraging ‘look at me!’

Yokozawa’s heart melted and he slid his hands up his suit-clad shoulders, through his soft, almond locks to cup at his jaw, their clashing iris gazing lovingly at each other in the golden light that bathed them. Overwhelmed with emotion when Kirishima mouthed ‘I love you’ he tucked his head back into the alpha’s neck to inhale his scent, to listen to his strong, thudding heartbeat. The brunette smiled warmly and ducked his head to return the gesture, placing a gentle kiss over his bond-mark that they’d renewed just last month during the feverish heat that had swept over them.

Kirishima inhaled his mate’s scent deeply and stifled a shudder as a sweet aroma flooded his senses. It smelled so familiar like that time he’d been…no it can’t be…it’s probably just someone’s perfume or his imagination, maybe a strong dessert nearby…

_But that would explain his strange behavior…_

They continued to sway in each other’s arms, forgetting about the world around them just for a minute…Just for a few minutes they could enjoy being in each-other’s comfort without caring what the public thought, they were just another pair of love-birds lost in the crowd, swept away by the melody. Yokozawa suddenly felt like he was in the sunlight, his body enveloped in warmth, must be Kirishima’s body heat. The raven sub-consciously leaned in closer, ignoring a cheery, distorted voice announcing something along the lines of,

****

**_“~Most romantic~”_ **

The beta allowed his conscious to focus solely on the man in front of him who embraced him so gently, so passionately, even as the crowd around them began to cheer softly, just so they could enjoy the moment. Being in this moment reminded him of all of those years together and ones yet to come…

Kirishima leaned back up to place a kiss atop his lover’s raven head when the music faded to a stop with the light strums of a guitar and the couples around them waltzed off to their tables to resume their evening meal after the glittering lights dimmed above them.

When they got back to their own table, Kirishima guiding his mate with a steady palm against his suit-clad back, Yokozawa suddenly fell into a fit of anxiety at his families’ baffled gazes.

“W-What…?” The raven asked, nervously twisting the metal band that decorated his ring finger underneath the table cloth when he took his seat.

“You two don’t know?”

“Know what?” The alpha blurted ignorantly, shoveling a bite of medium-rare steak into his mouth, Yokozawa looking equally agitated from the sudden attention. Why was it on them and not _Hiyo_!

“Everyone turned around to watch you two in the spotlight! You guys were the ‘couple of the evening’!” Narumi chuckled at her son’s oblivious nature.

“Huh?!” The beta gaped in astonishment and felt his body ignite into flame as he suddenly felt imaginary eyes on him, _since when?_

“Oh~ I didn’t know it was a competition, we just can’t help being so in love~” The alpha sang into his mate’s ear and leaned in to peck his cheek.

Kirishima got a kick to the shin for that one, but his light-hearted laughter brushed the violent threat off like dust while Yokozawa undoubtedly blushed to the tips of his ears, not daring to move to clean his plate. Even after the waitress came by to deliver the couples prize of the evening (A raspberry chocolate-mousse cake) and a special slice of strawberry cheesecake for their newly graduated daughter

\----

“Goodnight everyone! Thanks for coming!” Hiyo waved to her grandparents from the car window, her little sister limiting mobility by using her as a lap-pillow. All of the excitement for one day was finally taking its toll on the energetic toddler as she dozed off comfortably in the back seat of Kirishima’s car.

  
“Goodnight dear! We’ll see you next month for the party!” One of her grandmother’s cheered as the elderly group stood under the street lamp to wave them off.

Kirishima and Yokozawa’s families had come together to plan a post-grad party for the now-young woman. While they collectively refused to give up any details whatsoever, it remained a somewhat surprise party for the curious brunette.

“Bye now~”

  
With that Kirishima rolled up the window and flipped the gear into reverse. Yokozawa gazed out the window on their long trip home as the rumble of the engine heightened his restless state. He had a great evening, but he still worried about that _one little_ _thing_ in the back of his mind. How the hell was he supposed to break the news to Kirishima? It was only a matter of time before his recognized his changing scent, his unexplainable morning sickness, _or_ his detest for consumption of alcohol, let alone caffeine. Oh god he was going to miss coffee again, there was always decaf—but it was never the same…

No, wait.

It wasn’t set in stone yet…first things first, he had to visit Dr. Kita again, over the counter tests weren’t always accurate.

Yokozawa made a mental note to schedule an appointment in his next sliver of free-time. Raising Kuma and—practically Kirishima, the beta found himself in a bind between his family and work as it left him with barely any time outside of his daily routine. Takano was the first to notice this and became annoyed that his close-friend had passed him up for drinks yet again, leaving them with no time to catch up outside of work. He couldn’t help but wonder how their life was going. He had heard him bragging in the department about his little boy’s as he flashed a picture around, Onodera making a fuss that could be heard all the way from sales. So, he at least knew they had a set of twins…but he hadn’t had the chance to talk to him at all lately, did this always happen, no matter how old you get? Even your closest friends drift apart…? Yokozawa gingerly reached a hand up to thumb over his wrinkles blankly—

“Takafumi?”

“Huh?” There was a prominent red mark on his cheek from resting his cheek on his palm for the long period of time that was the car ride back, the “adorable” sight was too much for his mate.

“We’re home, did you fall asleep~?” Kirishima chuckled and gently shook his shoulder to snap him out of his trance.

“Uh, no just got a lot on my mind…” Yokozawa didn’t realize his slip of the tongue until it was too late, leaving him with a demand for explanation.

_‘oops…’_

“What does that mean?” Kirishima pried frighteningly serious as he inched closer, his gesture saying ‘now you can’t escape.’

Yokozawa chewed at the inside of his cheek as he groped for a suitable excuse, his eyes cast off to the side to avoid looking into his lover’s,

“Just—this sales quarter isn’t looking so good for us…”

“You and I both know that’s not possible. **Out with it**.” Kirishima snapped around a tempered growl, his amber eyes narrowing on him while he folded his arms firmly across his chest.

“…—!”

“Pa…pa..?”

Both men flinched, remembering that they weren’t alone and the alpha turned his head to reply to the oblivious toddler, but not before shooting his lover a look saying ‘later.’

Yokozawa suppressed a shudder and exit the vehicle, being the first to wait at the elevator. His foot tapping against the concrete floor of the garage, did a good job demonstrating his anxiety that was echoing off of the solid walls.

“Haa…I’m so tired~ What do you say Kuma, wanna sleep with Neechan?” Hiyo suggested to the drowsy 5-year-old that clung to her hand, who barely managed to nod her head in agreement. Recently The toddler had been having nightmares about the dark, and the only thing that helped was sleeping with someone else instead of all alone. Hiyo stepped in as her big sister to aid her in a comfortable sleep after she’d nearly been crushed by her papa one night.

Something chimed in the small space of the elevator and Hiyo flinched momentarily, before recognizing this as merely a text alert on her phone. The young graduate fished her cell out of her purse, surprised to see it was her childhood friend, Yuki-chan. No matter how old they got, the brunette insisted on the childish nickname for her dear friend. After scanning her tired eyes over the almost too-bright screen, Hiyo suddenly stood up straight as if she’d been dunked in cold water.

“Ah! I totally forgot! I’m supposed to stay at Yuki-chan’s house tonight! We were gonna celebrate…”

There was a faint sniffle from below, and Hiyo’s heart seized at the pitiful sight of her younger sister.

“I’m sorry little sis, but you have to be a big girl tonight, for me ok?” the 18-year old explained, kneeling down to the toddler’s height.

Kuma sniffled again and wiped at her eyes, embarrassed to cry in front of her cool Neechan and she nod as she got some understanding. Kirishima and Yokozawa had told Hiyo to stop coddling her, as she needed to gain some independence, and now was a prime example.

“kay…” the toddler whimpered and corrected her posture to put on a brave front for the sake of her fathers.

“Good, I’ll treat you to Ice-cream tomorrow!” Hiyo smiled brightly and gently pulled her into a hug, just as the elevator doors rolled open.

\----

Yokozawa stepped out of the shower and toweled off his hair roughly, hoping to knock out the headache that was pounding in his temple, but to no avail the insistent throbbing continued to nag him,

_‘Just tell him, you’re being an idiot.’_

The raven grit his teeth and reached for the green toothbrush that waited in the cup by the sink, and applied a generous amount of toothpaste before reaching up to scrub at his teeth in frustration.

_‘He’ll understand, it’s only gonna get worse if you keep it from him—What the hell am I thinking, he’ll be pissed for sure—”_

“You’re brushing your teeth a bit roughly there.” Kirishima commented and leaned around him to grab the blue toothbrush from the same cup, making sure to brush his hips and chest against his back. Yokozawa felt an electric current zap through his veins the moment their bodies touched and he instantly relaxed, applying less pressure on his teeth collecting a minty foam. The beta rinsed his mouth blankly, Kirishima doing likewise, and flinched after he turned off the tap and a warm palm creeped up on his exposed abdomen, his skin still peppered with drops of moisture, making it easier for their skin to glide.

“You’re getting a little soft here again…”

“…”

Kirishima ducked his head into the raven’s neck and he inhaled deeply, the other party going stock still as he shook in place.

“I smelled something sweet at the restaurant earlier but I thought it was someone’s dessert…”

“…” Yokozawa felt stinging droplets tickle at his eyelids as he waited for the alpha to continue.

“Now I want you to tell me something.”

The raven gulped, clenching and unclenching his fists in place as he realized, he had nowhere to run this time. **No escape** , the thought making his heart thud rapidly against his ribcage like he were merely prey caught in the spider’s trap.

“Is that Hiyo’s perfume? Or is that what I think it is…?”

Yokozawa exhaled lowly and ducked his head, not daring to face his mate as Kirishima spun him around to face him effortlessly. A hand drifted upwards to tilt his chin to face that scorching amber gaze, _he’d run away from him all day…_

Murky grey shied away from those questioning iris and he forcibly yanked his chin from his lover’s grasp, Kirishima responding by gripping tightly at his shoulders.

“ _Takafumi._ ”

Everything was there in those very syllables that made up his name, every emotion the alpha felt, every question he had, summed up in such a simple word, yet so emotionally. Yokozawa whimpered and felt his pride give way to the overbearing rank his lover held above him and he submit, baring his neck for a moment and tilting his head to nod in confirmation ‘yes, it’s true.’

Words were failing him at the moment, all that would leak out would be a broken sob, so he relied on mere simple gestures.

“I need you to say it.” Kirishima demanded, while he stepped back to fold his arms across his chest and settle against the bathroom counter, the cold aura waving off of him made the raven cower in fear. _‘I knew he’d be angry…’_

“…”

The brunette lifted a brow as one word blipped in his mind, a word that was not his…

“Angry?” the alpha repeated the raven’s thought darkly, his sudden change of scent clinging in the mist--heavy air,

Yokozawa flinched and ducked his head, he felt silly arguing like this in nothing but a towel…

“Why can’t you just tell me, after all these years can you still not trust me to take care of you?” Kirishima hissed and took a step forward, the beta taking a cautious step back.

“…”

****

**_“Tell me.”_ **

Yokozawa lifted his head, glaring at Kirishima as tears of frustration and anger rolled down his pale face, his iris a stormy grey that spelled sorrow.

“Fine! I’m pregnant is that what you wanted to hear?!”

“…”

“Now you’re free to hate me, do whatever you want. I don’t— care…Mmff!!” The raven had tried to spin on his heel and flee the bathroom, but was quickly flipped back around by a pair of steady hands, not even getting a second breath before Kirishima was sealing his lips. Yokozawa melted into his alpha’s arms and felt his knees buckle, but what snapped him out of his trance was a salty tear that slid down his cheek to rest on the corner of his mouth, a tear that didn’t belong to him. Reluctant to open his eyes he waited for Kirishima to pull away to confirm his suspicion, only to be faced with a silent, angry brunette before him, a small stream flowing down his cheeks.

“You dare say that I could ever hate you? I’m so damn happy right now, why can’t you just tell me these things dammit!” Kirishima snapped, wiping at his face in slight embarrassment and annoyance from the salt irritant against his flush skin.

“Y-You are…?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“But last time…”

“And you think I’d resent you for what happened?”

“…”

“I seriously love you, but you are a real pain in the ass sometimes.” Kirishima huffed and reached up to the nearby wall where his robe hung on the small hook.

“Well _excuse_ _me_ —OI, What’re you—!??” Yokozawa began to fidget in protest when the brunette yanked the towel off of his hips to quickly drape a robe around his shoulders, and hastily lift him up to wrap his legs around his hips.

“Let me down dammit!!”

Kirishima only complied when they reached the bed and he gingerly did so, moving at a lightning pace to trap him against the mattress before he could escape.

“Now it’s my turn~”

“What do you mean…?”

“You’ve done nothing but torture me all day with that tight-fitting suit, now I’m gonna torture you~”

“Wait—” Yokozawa started, but didn’t even finish before their bedroom door slammed open with a gust of air that screamed distress, and he had barely any time to hastily do-up the robe that was draped over his shoulders before his 5-year old daughter was trampling into the room, a plush toy flying behind her.

“PAPA!!” Kuma shouted as large tears dripped down her delicate face, her shoulder-length black hair sticking against her rosy cheeks. Her koala pajama’s and features were ruffled as she clung tightly to the stuffed lion she loved so much and trembled in place to call for the alpha that was up in an instant.

“What is it sweetie?” Kirishima cooed, dropping to his knees in front of the hysterical toddler, distracting her long enough for Yokozawa to creep away and dress himself in the dark.

“M-M…Mo—” The youngster tried, her hitching breath impairing her speech as she continued to wail in distress.

“Slow down, what’s got you so shaken up?” Kirishima asked again, gently patting her head in encouragement to anchor her to reality from whatever must have woken her up, leaving her so restless. Yokozawa drew up behind him oh-so carefully to not frighten the youngster anymore and tossed his husband a T-shirt. Kirishima had been lucky enough to already have his pants on, yet he liked to walk around shirtless late in the evening, leaving him less than appropriate for his little girl. Not that she would notice through her blurred vision.

“M-MONSTER!” Kuma cried and launched herself forward just as Kirishima slid the shirt over his chest, her tears already soaking through the newly donned fabric.

“Huh? You mean mama?” The brunette looked behind him to where she pointed and caught sight of his mate crouched just a few feet away. The raven directed a subtle glare his way, he was trying to teach her ‘dada’, a more masculine way to refer to him and Kirishima insisted on dragging down his progress.

“N-NO…!!” The child wailed

“Where then?” Kirishima asked patiently, waiting for the youngster to re-assess her situation.

“There!!” Kuma pointed towards the bed, and cowered in her father’s arms at the looming sight, barely peeking over his shoulder with those tearful almond eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Under there!” The toddler whimpered and pointed at the threat once again, weaker this time.

Kirishima picked his daughter up and flipped the lights on, passing her to Yokozawa who caringly accepted her without protest, resting her head near his scent gland in hopes to calm her down.

“Look, there’s nothing here, see?” The alpha supplied after walking over to lift the bed-skirt up for show and wave his hand tauntingly for the possible danger.

“B-But…”

“Hm?” Yokozawa looked at his daughter’s tear-stained face as she tried to make sense of her nightmare.

“M-Mine!”

“You want me to check your room too?” Kirishima asked with a raised brow to which he received a reluctant nod.

The trio made a trip back to her bedroom and searched every shadowed place to confirm that there was no such monster lurking about.

“See? It’s safe, want me to tuck you back in?” The brunette sighed after a thorough search of her room, plopping onto her teeny mattress with exhaustion.

The youngster started wriggling in Yokozawa’s arms and he gently set her back down, watching her fearfully scamper about her room to check for herself that there really was no threat. After a while Kuma stood in front of her slouching father and shook her head.

“Huh? Why not?” Kirishima asked, baffled, that usually always works!

“Not here!”

“Where? Neechan is at Yuki-chan’s, remember?” The alpha reminded, and his heart withered when she started to tear up again as she twisted her lion’s arm in embarrassment.

“W-With…pa…”

“Come again?”

“With mama and papa!”

“Eh…?”

Yokozawa was reluctant to approve, as last time they’d attempted that, Kirishima rolled over in the middle of the night and nearly smothered his daughter, the only thing waking him up over his obnoxious snores was Yokozawa pushing him off the bed to free the struggling youngster.

Kirishima sighed and gingerly took the toddler’s hand and agreed much to his mate’s surprise. He was looking forward to teasing the wild-bear, but that would have to be postponed, as a parent was always on duty…

“Let’s go then!” And Kirishima tickled at her sides, making her squeal with amusement and send her bounding off to their room, completely forgetting all about her bad-dream.

\----

Shortly after they’d settled down, including ‘Raion-chan’, Kuma’s stuffed lion, the youngster began to wiggle around.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Yokozawa slurred drowsily when the toddler buried her face in his neck.

“Mama smells good.” The toddler mused,

“Is that right?” Kirishima chuckled, leaning on his side to watch the exchange.

“Like what?” The alpha asked after a second thought,

“Hmm…” the youngster tickled at Yokozawa’s neck when she leaned back in to breathe in the sweet aroma.

“Lily”

“Huh?” the alpha muttered and leaned over to check for himself. Last time it was peaches and vanilla…that was strange…

Kirishima ducked his head ignoring Yokozawa’s protests and inhaled deeply near the beta’s scent gland.

“She’s right…” The brunette mumbled and leaned back down for another whiff only to be kicked in the stomach.

“Stop smelling me and go to sleep!” The blushing raven hissed and clenched his eyes shut, drowning out the disappointed whines.

\----

“Didn’t think I’d see you back in here! How have you guys been? How’s your daughters?” A blonde woman inquired behind her glasses.

The date of his appointment had come far sooner than his liking and Yokozawa Takafumi was buzzing with nerves. Not because he was back in the maternity clinic of his frequent hospital, but because Kirishima accompanied him as well, despite his many protests not to. When the beta took a moment to consider how different the situation was this time around, there was no stopping the flush fighting it’s way up his cheeks.

“Ah, they’re good, Hiyo’s graduated, it’s nice to see you too.” Yokozawa replied politely, relaxing on the exam table as the medic swished forward on her swivel stool to inspect the raven’s abdomen.

“Wow! Congratulations! You guys must be so proud…let’s see what’s going on in there eh?” The doctor mused and lifted the wand from is hook to run it over the beta’s softening abdomen.

“May I ask how long this time?” The woman asked while she searched for signs of life on the black & white screen.

Yokozawa bit back his embarrassment and traded a date while the doctor continued her thorough sonogram.

“About a month from my last heat…”

“Ah I see…”

The room went silent and Kirishima at his side perked up when his almond iris caught something on the screen at the same moment as the doctor.

“Well, well…looks like you’ve got another little one on the way!” The woman let out her customary cheer a bit distracted as her blue eyes skimmed the screen closer, her grip on the wand going still against the beta’s abdomen.

“What’s wrong?” The alpha demanded when the doctor went silent, her expression scrunching with concentration.

‘Hmm…it’s a bit early to tell…but I’m pretty sure…’ The woman glanced over at the worried brunette for a split second and smirked beneath her surgical mask.

“There’s someone else hiding right…here!” The medic mused and pointed at the screen that displayed a live-feed of Yokozawa’s functioning organs.

“WHAT!?” both men barked in unison.

“Yup! Looks like you guys got lucky, this is very rare for a beta…”

Yokozawa gulped and looked up at his alpha who was grinning like a loon, his hands at his sides were twitching as he convinced his every muscle not to pick his lover off of the table and spin him around in endless circles

“I want you back in here in three days do you understand? Since there’s two of the little guys, I don’t want you working past 4 months, _and_ I will have to closely monitor your health.” The doctor ordered and handed the couple a photo of evidence.

Yokozawa’s throat went dry and he agreed with a polite nod, both of them shaking the woman’s hand before they exit the office.

“Twins huh?” Kirishima whistled, his amber aye gleaming with excitement in the soft light of the afternoon sun,

“…~~guess you’re no match for my alpha—mff!” he’d started slyly but was quickly stifled with a palm muffling over his mouth.

“Watch it.” The beta snapped, the public was no such place for the brunette’s vulgar games, and steely grey searched the crowd to make sure no one had heard them before lifting his hand to rest at his side.

“Wanna tell my parents?” The alpha blurted, catching his mate off guard.

“…”

“The sooner the better~” Kirishima sing-songed and strolled ahead while his husband reluctantly lagged behind.

\----

“And so, with that said, you guys can expect another pair of grand-children, as Takafumi and I just visit the clinic today.” Kirishima finished, fishing a sonogram photo out of his pocket to pass to the elder group. Luckily, they’d been able to kill two birds with one stone, as both of their parents had gotten together for some afternoon tea, leaving one less trip and spiel to make. Now all that was left was Hiyo and Kuma…

“Is this a joke?”

“Hmm, Zen are you lying?” Himari questioned skeptically, her husband offering the same look that could only be described as suspicion.

“Huh? How can you fake a photo like that!? Look. One here and… _two_ there!” The alpha pointed out on the black & white screenshot of their twins in the early stages of development.

“Hmm…” Narumi scrutinized the photo closer and lit up with excitement when she was able to make sense of a second fetus.

“Ah I see now! Oh dear, that’s wonderful!” The woman gasped in awe and snatched the photo from Kirishima’s grasp.

“Maybe we should’ve asked for extras…” The brunette turned to whisper in his husband’s ear as the elderly group fawned over the grey image with an iron grip.

“S’ not like we can’t get more…” Yokozawa shrugged, amusement tugging at his lips. Every word he said was true, it was going to be another long, nine months of strict diets and health precautions. But remembering the first moment he’d met Kuma, it reminded him that it was all worth it.

~~~

“Hear that little sis? Now you get to be ‘Neechan” too!” Hiyo grinned to the toddler with enthusiasm.

Kuma furrowed her brows and pointed at herself,

“Neechan?” The toddler repeated her older sister.

“Yup!” The 18-year old agreed and giggled when the youngster stood up to run around, excitedly repeating nee-chan over and over, telling the plants, papa and dada, the pet fish, and the _very old_ Sorata who could only blink from his spot in the sun on the window sill of Hiyo’s room. It was hard for him to get around now as he was nearing 19 years…a very long time for a cat…Yokozawa was worried that his time was coming soon, and he made a mental note to have Takano over for a final visit before departing with his feline companion. The raven didn’t like to think about It and he turned his head away from they spotty grey cat that lazed in the sun before his eyes got glassy. He’d had a very good life; it was probably for the best that his retirement was coming soon…

“What’s wrong?” Kirishima had almost instantly picked up on the beat of sorrow that washed over his mark for a split second.

Yokozawa flinched and scrubbed at his agitated face and looked at his lover with a sheepish smile, despite his slightly puffy eyes.

“Oh nothing…I just feel so old…” The beta trailed off, his gaze betraying his true feelings as he continued to stare at the dozing feline that bathed in the sunlight. Kirishima followed his eyes and picked up on the raven’s true intentions of his phrasing and his eyes too got a bit misty with emotion.

“Yeah…” The alpha instinctively scooted closer to his mate’s side, not inching a muscle when the raven wordlessly buried his face in his neck, following a warm trail of droplets that slipped down his skin as his body quietly wracked with sobs.

\----

It was the day of Hiyo’s long-anticipated graduation party that started off with a scavenger hunt at the beach to find her party’s true location as she was led from clue to clue around the city, only to be

directed to a park where a large gaudy banner swayed in the breeze beneath a large-swaying sakura tree. The decorations invited her to take a seat with her grandparents who waited patiently on a picnic blanket while nursing their own plates of cake and refreshments that just happened to be her favorite. Later the family revealed tickets to a show at the aquarium to which they attended in the late afternoon.

Finally, just before sunset, Kirishima took his daughter’s hand and passed her a bouquet of roses and led her to the sleek black car that waited in a nearby lot. Yokozawa knowing exactly what this meant, and he waved them off with his teeny daughter’s arm. The alpha didn’t utter a word to Hiyo’s curious demands as he continued to drive in an all too familiar direction towards the country-side where his late-wife rested peacefully. Kirishima finally drew to a stop in a gavel lot, opening the door for his daughter to lead her down a narrow path surrounded by cherry-trees in full bloom that rustled in the warm breeze.

Hiyo offered her mother the bouquet of colored roses and told her all about her day, how she was graduated now, where she was going to college, and added, just because she could, ‘thank you for watching over me’.

Kirishima felt a comforting warm breeze curl around his exposed skin and a pale-pink petal landed neatly on his daughter’s head as if she were sending her reply. The alpha took his turn after the teary omega backed away, and untucked a small photo from his pocket, a photo of him and Hiyo at her graduation. The young woman was grinning brightly so much like her mother, while Kirishima, who was wearing her graduation cap, looked like he was about to start crying any minute as he tightly gripped her delicate shoulder. Thumbing reflectively over her framed features, the alpha bent down and rested the photo on the gravestone, leaning on the bountiful assortment of blooming roses.

The father-daughter duo returned long after the sun had set to have dinner that Yokozawa had prepared for them before retiring to bed like any other normal night.

Kirishima had just stepped out of the bath when his mate swung open the bathroom door to ask him how it went. Kuma had been tucked in with Hiyo nearly an hour ago, leaving them in the clear to discuss anything they want, or do anything thing they want…The alpha nodded with what could only be content and he surged forward to tightly embrace his caring lover, his protest’s of ‘oi! You’re getting me all wet!’ falling on deaf ears as he burrowed his face into his chest. Yokozawa began to squirm with discomfort and the alpha, who only wore a towel around his waist continued to slide down his body until his cheek rested against his mate’s exposed abdomen (his doing as he’d rucked his shirt up earlier) and sighed heavily.

“W-What is it…?” The raven mumbled when the brunette didn’t budge and only responded with pressing a featherlight kiss to the soft skin of his stomach.

“Oh nothing…just excited for what our future holds…” Kirishima mused and stood back up to tenderly pull his husband into a passionate lip-lock, the metal band he never took off sliding coolly against Yokozawa’s neck, making him shudder beneath his hands. The alpha surprised when his mate pulled away and ducked his head into his shoulder to mutter his response,

“M-Me too…”

For a while Yokozawa had been searching for a _normal_ in his life but he’d just found his answer. This was his _normal_. As long as he was with Kirishima he didn’t care what situation he was in, because he knew that his alpha was anything but normal, instead he was annoying, childish and foul-mouthed. But that was why he loved him and Kirishima had his own strange reasons for loving him in return. As long as he was loved, by this man, his life would forever be abnormal, and he found himself okay with that. After all, what about a pregnant beta bonded with an alpha was normal, while they raised 2 daughters together in a tiny flat? Which—reminded him, they were probably going to need to invest in a larger space someday, what with twins on the way—For once, he found himself excited for the future, because Kirishima was going to be with him.

_Every step of the way._

~END~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sad now!! I cried twice writing this (I'm a big baby I know), sorry once again it took me so long, I hope it lived up to your expectations! Thank you so much for reading and I really appreciate every single one of you, it has been an amazing journey!
> 
> Now as far as my next idea's go, I'll post a new, temporary "fic" where you can vote in the comments after I describe both of my ideas, I love each of them equally so I'd like the readers to decide, I'll end up writing both, but for now I want the first one to be picked by you guys, this will also be available on my tumblr: peachywritesblog
> 
> See you soon, and thanks so much again!
> 
> Much love,  
> Peachy

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! thank you so much for reading I'll try my absolute best to not neglect this fic and finish it unlike my other ones... but I have to juggle school, a job, and chronic pain so it might not be very regular.  
> -peachy


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